IRISH-trained horses had a quietly successful Royal Ascot, a total of 10 winners the same as last year and not far behind the record 12 in 2023, that tally sitting well among recent years as this was just the fourth time this century to hit double figures.

The quiet part of the success relates to the Group 1s as there was just one Irish-trained winner at the top-level over the five days, just the second time in the last 10 years that Irish trainers failed to win more than one Group 1 at the meeting, allowing that a few big players like Kyprios, Porta Fortuna and Lake Victoria missed out.

But what a Group 1 winner it was with Cercene in the Coronation for Joe Murphy, topping off what the veteran trainer described as ‘50 years of work by the family’.

His star filly had run well in a couple of Group 3s earlier in the season before finishing third in the Irish 1000 Guineas, all the time looking as if a stiffer test would suit and she got it here.

She also got an excellent ride from Gary Carroll. Despite breaking worst of the 11 runners, Carroll got his mount into an advantageous position down the rail in fourth and was proactive after the final turn as he switched out, a few in behind (notably Kon Tiki) meeting trouble down the inside.

From there, Cercene showed a willing attitude when headed by Zarigana while also paying an obvious compliment to the absent Lake Victoria, who still looks the best filly of her generation.

First for Twomey

Earlier in the week, Carmers gave Paddy Twomey a first Royal Ascot winner in the Queen’s Vase, remarkably just his second ever winner on the flat in Britain, his other runners on the week largely acquitting themselves well too.

Carmers won by three quarters of a length with a length and a half covering the first five but he might be worth rating better than that; he was in front a long way from home having sat close to a strong pace, and he doesn’t seem the type to do much in the lead, Billy Lee describing him afterwards as a ‘behind the bridle’ type.

Furthermore, he was less experienced than the four that chased him home, so has more scope to improve. Each of them had at least four runs prior to this, whereas Carmers had just two, the first of those only coming in May.

Get It may not have been an Irish-trained winner of the Wokingham, but Seamie Heffernan produced one of the best rides of week at a meeting when the pressure on jockeys is at its highest.

It is difficult, if not quite impossible, to make all in the Wokingham, and looking back at the race since 2000, it had happened just twice before last Saturday, Unequal Love close up last year and Hey Jonesy making all in 2020, but most winners are held up and come with a late run, those tactics tending to be effective over the Ascot straight course.

Yet Heffernan paced things perfectly in the lead, the sectionals from Total Performance Data via AtTheRaces.com confirming this as an ultra-efficient ride, and this was a brave steer from a jockey riding just his eighth winner of the year.

LAST Friday was the hottest day in Ireland for three years, so it was surprising to see the ground at Limerick riding slow for last Saturday’s card. The going was given as good with selective watering on the morning of the meeting, but it soon became apparent that there was plenty of ease in it, changing to good-to-yielding in places before the third which didn’t look far enough.

Visually, the runners were kicking up a lot of turf from early on while a few connections commented on their winners enjoying the slower surface, and this created a strong bias towards horses coming wide in the straight, the later races looking more like bumpers run at the Christmas meetings than flat races in mid-summer.

Chris Hayes was wise to this in the Martin Molony, edging out from his stall one position as soon as that was allowed and finishing up making his challenge widest of all in the straight. This was a weak listed race, but even so, the fifth Drawn To Dream shaped well.

Making her debut for Ross O’Sullivan and having her first run in 220 days, she made the running and travelled best of all but found herself in the worst track position down the inner while also taking a couple of bumps as Sharpen hung into her in the straight. There should be improvement to come for this run.

The other one to shape well against the bias was Moonhall Lass in the earlier seven-furlong handicap for three-year-olds. This race was run at a strong pace, the overall time much faster than the previous maiden over the same trip, and Moonhall Lass made the running tight down the rail throughout.

She briefly went clear entering the straight, before her efforts on the worst part of the track told, but still managed to hold on for fourth, the other ones that went forward with her making little impact.

Not every race will set up as badly as this, and she showed enough pace for six furlongs here, while a mark in the mid-60s means she can drop in grade too as the top-rated in this was off 83.

IT is the biggest weekend of the year for flat racing in Kildare with the Irish Derby Festival, and it might be worth checking in on current stable form ahead of the big meeting at the Curragh.

Since the start of May through to last weekend, two Irish yards have hit with more than 30% of their runners in both Britain and Ireland: Paddy Twomey (32.1% – 17 winners from 53 runners) and Aidan O’Brien (30.2% – 45 winners from 149 runners).

Among the more mid-range yards and considering only those that have had at least five winners since the start of last month, five names stand out as in form: Joe Murphy (18.5% strikerate – 5 winners from 27 runners), Denis Hogan (16.3% – 7/43), Henry de Bromhead (16.2% – 6/37), Michael O’Callaghan (16.1% – 5/31) and Andy Oliver (15.4% – 6/39).

Looking at the Irish Derby fixture over the last 10 years, Aidan O’Brien has won 47 of the 208 races in that time, an impressive tally, with Joseph O’Brien next best with 21 winners and Ger Lyons with 18 winners.

The strength of British flat racing at the top end was apparent last week at Ascot, much more so than over jumps, and their runners have done well in Ireland in recent years though not so much at the Irish Derby meeting.

In the last 10 years, British-trained horses are nine winners from 98 runners at this meeting with 33 places, for a sizeable level-stakes loss of 48.77 points.

Their record in the two Group 1s, the Irish Derby itself and the Pretty Polly, is decent with six winners from 32 runners along with 13 places, for a small level stakes loss of 2.52 points but they have done poorly in all other races, just three winners from 66 runners.

This would seem to be a timing rather than quality issue, as so much focus goes into Royal Ascot, where so many of their best horses run, and the ones left to travel to the Curragh are a weaker group.