HIT The Bid, a 20/1 outsider from the Darren Bunyan stable, set the trend for major upsets in the three main races at Cork last Sunday when nabbing the honours in the Listed Midsummer Sprint Stakes to prevail for rider Leigh Roche by three-quarters of a length from market ‘springer’ Go Kart.

The Exceed And Excel colt had travelled to Chantilly for his last outing in a Group 2 event two weeks earlier but unfortunately, as his Curragh handler explained: “There was a delay of nearly 20 minutes because another horse pulled a shoe off. Our lad boiled over at the start, but was only beaten seven lengths and he ran a blinder.

“He came back fresh and well, so we said we’d take our chance today and thankfully it worked out. He’s a very good sprinter and I think he’s definitely a Group 2 horse. He won a Group 3 at the Curragh last August at 50/1, but he was 100/1 that morning, so we weren’t surprised! We’ll keep him going step by step.”

Bunyan, who trains the winner for the Straight To Victory Syndicate, has had a quiet start to the year, but is expecting things to pick up from this month onwards. He concluded: “I’ve a lot of quality two-year-olds and some nice three-year-olds to come.”

By a remarkable coincidence the Munster Oaks was also won by a 20/1 longshot in Santa Monica who recorded a valuable success in this Group 3 contest for the Charles O’Brien and Billy Lee alliance.

Racing in the second pink silks of the trainer’s sister Sue Magnier, who shares ownership of the Mastercraftsman filly with the executors of O’Brien’s late mother Jacqueline, Santa Monica was registering her second career win by a neck margin from Butterflies, with the hat-trick-seeking favourite Glamorous Approach a further length and a quarter adrift in third.

O’Brien’s travelling head lad, Gerry Abbot, observed: “The last day she ran it was softish ground, which she wasn’t gone on. The bit of nice ground today helped her and Billy gave her a nice confident ride. She’s a nice big filly.”

The Cork Derby, a €50,000 premier handicap, was the final ‘classic’ on the card and this wide open affair went to the Tony Martin-trained Moonmeister (8/1) who finished the race with considerably more enthusiasm than he had shown at the start.

Reluctant to enter the stalls, he came from off the pace inside the final furlong to shade it narrowly under Oisin Orr by a neck and a head from Spruce Meadows and Here For The Craic.

Meathman Alan Murray owns the six-year-old seasonal debutant and Martin remarked: “He was consistent all last year and always promised to have one of those in him. I wanted to go to the Curragh with him a month ago, but he just wasn’t right so we had to wait.

“Oisin’s 5lb claim is a big asset and he loves that ground. He can mix it over hurdles and on the flat.”

The Aga Khan’s beautifully-bred Harrana had to survive a stewards’ enquiry into possible interference in the straight involving Pat Smullen’s mount, the three-quarters of a length winner, and the runner-up Spanish Steps before the result was allowed to stand.

The successful trainer Dermot Weld was represented by his son Kris who commented: “Her dam is a half-sister to Harzand, so she’s regally-bred and I’m delighted she’s won. We’ll look for a handicap for her.”

The master of Rosewell House and his stable jockey doubled up via Moyglare Stud Farm’s newcomer India Rain who stuck to her task gamely in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden to fend off the well-supported Damselfly by a short-head.

Kris Weld said of the 4/1 chance, who is closely related to Refuse To Bend: “She travelled well and she was brave. She looked to have the race won, but just tired and had to stick her head out and battle when the second filly challenged her. We’ll look for a nursery for her in a couple of weeks time.”

Monastervin-based trainer Mark Fahey saddled Oneoveryou to take the €15,000 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Handicap by a decisive two lengths in the colours of the six-year-old’s owner/breeder Michael O’Dea from Co. Galway. The top-weight, Magic Bear, headed the betting, but had to settle for fourth place.

Formerly in the care of Steve Mahon and backed from 16/1 into 10/1, Oneoveryou only joined Fahey a couple of weeks ago. He reported: “All the hard work had been done by then. I don’t know much about her, but Conor knows her well and I just freshened her up and brought her here.”

The quick ground inevitably led to a number of withdrawals and John Geoghegan’s Quelez almost fell into that category, until his trainer gambled on allowing him take his chance in division one of the Blizzards Play Live July 14th 45-65 Handicap.

The move paid off when the ultra-consistent 7/2 favourite came up trumps with his half-length defeat of Misty Mountain. Geoghegan, who is also the victorious owner, said: “I was very close to pulling him out because of the ground – he’s by Bushranger and they go on any ground, bar extremes. It was getting a bit quick for him, but he seemed to handle it okay.

“That’s his grade and he’ll keep running away in those type of races or maybe a 45-75 where he would have less weight on his back.”

Jockey Wayne Lordan rolled back the years in the second division when Avalanche, trained by his first boss Thomond O’Mara for his wife Roisin Hickey, came out on top in the final 100 yards at a price of 11/2.

This dual flat scorer will be heading to Killarney for his next outing, but market fancy Sleepy Head was withdrawn at the start of the race and will have to be recertified before being declared to run from stalls again.

Acting Stewards

C. O’Mahony, Ms Jill Farrell, P. Curling, J. McGuire, H. Hynes.

HORSE TO FOLLOW

SPRUCE MEADOWS (J. J. Feane): Can be considered an unlucky loser of the premier handicap after failing to get a clear run when he needed.