DERMOT Weld and the Juddmonte team have some high-class problems on their hands in deciding where Purview goes next, after the exciting four-year-old produced a demolition job of a performance in the Listed Sherry FitzGerald Country Homes Orby Stakes.
A winner of the Listed Navigation Stakes over 10 furlongs when last seen in September, Colin Keane’s mount moved through this first try at a mile and a half with real ease and shot clear to win by six lengths at 4/1.
He had little trouble accounting for last year’s winner of this race, Trustyourinstinct (5/2 favourite), and earned a Timeform rating of 119+.
“It was an excellent performance - he’s a lovely colt,” said Weld.
“He has matured and developed as I always thought he would. We have a lot to look forward to with him. He’s always been operating at group level and he was just a big, immature, horse last year. He’s matured nicely over the winter and he liked the ground.
“This was his first time over a mile and a half; I was always keen to try him over that distance. He settled beautifully, got a lovely ride from Colin, and you saw the rest.”
On what might lie in store, Weld added: “It’s something that we will reflect upon, discuss it with Barry [Mahon, Juddmonte’s general manager for Ireland and European racing] and with the owners and decide.
“ I think he’s a horse to look forward to. It’s a long year and we’ll plan his races accordingly.”
Will finds a way
Gavin Cromwell is weighing up whether he might be able to sneak into a Royal Ascot handicap with Invincible Will after the useful three-year-old did just enough to win the seven-furlong NorthStandard Handicap. This was clear career-best from the Andrew and William Treacy Partnership’s 22/1 shot, who quickened up smartly and then did well to repel a late charge from Johnny Murtagh’s Zenford by a short-head.
Cromwell said: “He’s been a frustrating horse. The last day at Naas, Robbie [Whearty] rode him [when down the field over a mile] and he was almost a runaway; he’s done that on a few days.
“We’ve done a lot of work with him at home - we’ve even schooled him over hurdles and fences to settle his head a bit.
“There was plenty of pace on there today, which was ideal. A mile is no problem to him, as long as they go a gallop. He’s learning to settle better.
“I’d say the owners would like to go to Ascot for a handicap over there. He was 82 today [and was raised 5lb subsequently], so we’ll see.”
DONNACHA O’Brien’s instinct that Comanche Brave could make into a high-level sprinter looks to be bang on the money, judged on how the globetrotting gelding proved too hot to handle for his rivals in the Group 2 Weatherbys Ireland Greenlands Stakes under Ryan Moore.
After back-to-back placed efforts in valuable contests over seven furlongs and a mile in Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia, the Wootton Bassett colt out of Jersey Stakes heroine Ishvana wasn’t disgraced when fifth, alebit ultimately no match, behind the outstanding Ka Ying Rising in the Group 1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize at Sha Tin.
A month later back at the Curragh, he proved a much different proposition. It was his first try at six furlongs since his two-year-old maiden victory at Cork and he pulled two lengths clear of track stalwart Big Gossey.
The 7/4 winning favourite can now be found amongst the top handful of runners in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot, priced between 8/1 and 14/1 for that sprint highlight in the immediate aftermath.
“I wanted to go sprinting with him for a while and I thought a few times along the way that it was stupid, but thankfully it wasn’t,” said O’Brien, winning his third group race of the month, this time for owner Muhaideb A Almuhaideb.
“He’s could be a proper horse back sprinting now and will go straight to Ascot next for the Jubilee. He’s improving and a young horse for a sprinter.
“It’s our first run back at six [furlongs] with him in a while, so he’s going to keep getting better. Sprinters take a little bit of time to get used to that kind of faster pace.
“We were taking Ka Ying Rising on in his back yard last time and going right-handed around a bend really isn’t this fella’s thing. He’s better on a straight track, but we were still very pleased with that performance. He wasn’t disgraced by any means against useful horses in behind Ka Ying Rising and I think he’s taken another step up today.”
Bezukhov looks bright
Joseph O’Brien rounded off the card with a well-bred winner in the shape of Count Bezukhov, who built on an eye-catching debut third at Leopardstown to win the 10-furlong O’Driscolls Irish Whiskey Irish EBF Maiden as 10/11 favourite.
Dylan Browne McMonagle, sporting the Westerberg Ireland colours, was registering a double on the day aboard this Wootton Bassett colt out of German Oaks winner Miss Yoda. He wore down Lonely Island to win by half a length, while shaping as though a return to further would suit.
“He had a nice run on debut,” said O’Brien.
“He probably wanted to be going further rather than shorter, but we were happy that the Curragh would suit him and he boxed on well to the line.
“He’s a tough horse, a staying type and will probably end up in a stakes race now. The Listed Nijinsky Stakes at Leopardstown over a mile and a half is there [on June 4th] but it might come a bit soon.
“It will be something like that for his next start.”
THERE was a notable first premier handicap winner for up-and-coming trainer Maurice Ahern when his 3,500gns bargain buy Perry Mason notched a third Curragh win in the €50,000 Keadeen Hotel Handicap under Leigh Roche.
The winner’s profile is in stark contrast to the runner-up, Perfect Your Craft, who ran a cracking race in being beaten a nose here on her first start since joining Paddy Twomey for a much more expensive 300,000gns last December.
The gutsy 16/1 scorer, improving from a mark of 60 last October to win off 91 here, pulled out plenty in front and basically made all in the trainer’s colours.
Ahern, who previously trained 140 winners pony racing (including 19 at the Dingle Festival), said: “He was due that because he was knocking on the door in some big premier handicaps. He gave me my first winner here last year. I’m training exactly 12 months and he’s been good to me.
“I have a couple of jumpers but I like the flat. We had to move out of our previous place in Cork because of rapeseed and I’m based in Kildare for the last four or five weeks.
“I have 14 horses in training and I’m looking for more. This lad had a real good maiden run against some smart horses and when I went to look at him at the sales, I said ‘he’s coming home.’”
Here comes Headmaster
Albeit at a higher price tag, the blue-blooded Headmaster looks an excellent horse-in-training sale buy too on the evidence of his dramatic win in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Habitat Premier Handicap.
Dylan Browne McMonagle had to demonstrate major patience on the strong-travelling 14/1 shot, who burst through traffic late on to beat Fort Vega by a neck on the former William Haggas-trained four-year-old. The Dubawi gelding out of triple Group 1 Prix de la Foret winner One Master races in the colours of John Lynam after being picked up for 48,000gns at last year’s Tattersalls Autumn Horse-In-Training Sale.
Speaking after victory in this €50,000 contest, winning trainer Eddie Lynam said: “I’d love to take any credit, but I can’t. Sarah [Lynam] bought him and this is her horse, really. I’m only in charge of who mucks him out! Sarah does all the work with him.
“She made a very good decision because a couple of weeks ago he worked poorly. He was going for this race and she said ‘we’re not going to work him again’. With all my years of experience, I said ‘that’s a clueless thing to do’, but she knows what she’s doing. Fair play to her. I’ll have to do what I’m told with him, but the programme writes itself.”
AIDAN O’Brien won each of the three races he had runners in at the Curragh on Irish 2000 Guineas day, and Ryan Moore completed a personal four-timer from four rides when Causeway narrowly prevailed in the Group 3 Heider Family Stables Gallinule Stakes.
The 5/6 favourite, owned by Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Sue Magnier, was making it three from three this season, having already won the Madrid Handicap over seven furlongs and Listed Tetrarch Stakes over a mile. He was pressed hard on this first try at a mile and a quarter by Natalia Lupini’s 88-rated Zia Zabeel, who emerged from the head defeat with real credit.
“We knew he’d stay very well and always thought he’d get better going up in trip,” said the Ballydoyle maestro.
“I left the cheekpieces off him today when he was going up to a mile and a quarter, and he’s very lazy. Ryan was very happy with him. He’s a lovely, honest-to-God horse.”
Asked whether Causeway could be a candidate for the Group 3 Hampton Court Stakes at Royal Ascot, O’Brien added: “He’d have a penalty in that, but he could go somewhere like that. The good thing is that Ryan said he will stay further.”
Is a tilt at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby possible? “It could be, we’ll see what will happen in the next couple of weeks. He’s done his trial now. He’s a hardy boy and he’ll only ever do what he has to do. When the cheekpieces go back on, they will be a help to him.”
Sizzling Sergei
O’Brien has used the opening Tally Ho Stud Irish EBF Maiden as a springboard to high-quality success in recent years with the likes of Arizona, Unquestionable and Henri Matisse, so his 2026 winner of the six-furlong maiden, Sergei Diaghilev, needs to be taken very seriously indeed.
Ryan Moore chose right from three Ballydoyle runners in the line-up and the 4/6 favourite scored in fairly ready fashion by half a length from Jessica Harrington’s newcomer Switching Sides.
O’Brien said of the Coolmore partners’ Wootton Bassett colt: “We’re delighted with him, he hadn’t done an awful lot of work. He only stepped into main work in the last two weeks and he did a nice piece of work last Saturday. We knew he’d be very green and there is probably a lot to come from him.
“It was a nice introduction for him. We ran him because we thought he could be a Coventry horse, Ryan wasn’t sure if he was going to know enough in time. Ryan said he’ll have no problem going seven. I’d imagine he’ll stick to six for now.”