FRANKEL filly Believed (9/4 favourite) provided trainer Johnny Murtagh and jockey Ben Coen with feature race success at Cork on Friday, landing the Group 3 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Give Thanks Stakes for owners Qatar Racing.
Placed third in Royal Ascot’s King George V Stakes in June, Believed was held up in rear in Friday’s eight-runner race and, having made headway in the home straight, improved to lead in the final strides, when scoring by a half-length from Amelia Earhart.
Afterwards, Coen commented: “I think that next year she will make a nicer filly again, as Johnny and the team have taken her slowly. He has taught her plenty and, next year, I think she will be better stepping up more in distance.”
Suzie sings the right tune
Trainer Ger Lyons regularly pilots his own light aircraft to the course and hit the target with last year’s smart juvenile Suzie Songs (5/1 - 5/2 favourite) in the Listed NFP Irish EBF Platinum Stakes.
Carrying the colours of breeders Moyglare Stud and ridden by Colin Keane, the keen-going daughter of Starspangledbanner raced prominently throughout and scored comfortably by a length and a half from Spinning Around.
Lyons said: “Suzie Songs has been a project. Last year, her only bad race was in the Moyglare, but she was running away and doing everything too quick.
“She has grown and, while her work hasn’t been showing us that, she is doing things right now. We’ll talk to Colin, keep her to seven (furlongs) and I think the ground is important for her.
“They are going lickety-split here today, which plays to her strengths, but we’re slowly getting her back to her best - not that we will ever get her back to where she was.”
Angelic success
Lyons was earlier out of luck with slow-starting and third-placed Maire Rua in the Listed Irish Stallion Farms Firville Stakes, finishing behind the Joseph O’Brien-trained winner Alwaysanangel (5/2).
Ridden by Dylan Browne McMonagle for owner Janine Byrne, the daughter of Harry Angel improved from off the pace to eventually lead inside the final furlong and scored by a length and three-quarters from Madam Secretary.
O’Brien’s race planner Kevin Blake reported: “She has plenty of pace, as she showed at Newmarket where they went really quick.
“She was in her comfort zone today, although had to come around on the ‘wing’ which wasn’t ideal, but it was the right thing to do and she quickened up well.
“She was well bought at the breeze-ups by Stuart Bowman of Blandford Bloodstock and she runs for great people (Byrne family), who always come to support their runners.”
TRAINER Henry de Bromhead completed a double, beginning with Walk On Harry’s (11/2) success in the opening Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden, scoring for owner and ex-Liverpool and current Tottenham Hotspur footballer Andy Robertson.
Ridden by Derby-winner Ronan Whelan, Walk On Harry powered home and scored readily by a length and a quarter from Southern Boulevard and picked up a €50,000 Goffs Orby sale bonus.
Whelan reported: “I learned a lot about him the last day when I was too forceful on him, so we decided to take a lead today and it worked out like a piece of work.
“He has stepped forward with every run and, physically, he is all there and has a lovely pedigree to back it up. You’d like to think he will keep progressing and he has plenty of options going forward.”
Starflow shows star power
De Bromhead later completed a double in the concluding Fitzgerald Construction Building Handicap, scoring with the Roger Brookhouse-owned, Conor Cusack-partnered Starflow (25/1).
Riding his seventh winner, Cusack improved the 45-rated three-year-old to lead early in the home straight and held on well to beat fast-finishing unlucky-in-running Response Finale by three-parts of a length.
Cusack said: “His work at home seemed to be sufficient in our minds to win at this level, but he hadn’t been genuine in his races.
“We put blinkers on, I bounced him out and rode him forwardly.
“Blinkers played their part with him, I got a lovely tow into the race and he is rated lowly enough to go forward again. Hopefully, he can progress now.”
AIDAN O’Brien was on the mark in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden, scoring with the Ryan Moore-partnered Garden Party (6/5 favourite) for the Coolmore partners.
Having her first start of the year, the Wootton Bassett-filly finished well to score by three-parts of a length from Zadawa.
O’Brien’s representative Chris Armstrong reported: “She had two lovely runs in maidens last year, but has taken a while to come to hand this year.
“She was just ready to start back today, so you’d think there will be plenty of improvement from her.”
Amerilis (11/2) registered a deserved first success in Cork’s OCS Recruitment Handicap, scoring readily for trainer Gillian Scott, jockey Donagh O’Connor and the Amerilis Partnership.
Amerilis made all the running and scored by an eased-down two and a quarter lengths from Simmering Seas.
Trainer Scott reported: “She is a fantastic filly to get and it was very kind of her previous owner Mr (Robert) Moran to pass her on to me.
“At the start of the season, she surprised me, as she ran well on softish ground, so she can tip away on most surfaces - although she loves top of the ground. It is nice to have a nice one like her and long term, breeding would be our goal with her.”