MICK Mulvany’s fantastic season continued as Genesis notched the yard’s fifth Curragh success of the year in the €100,000 Dubai Duty Free Rockingham Handicap under Wesley Joyce.

Switched to Mulvany halfway through last year, Michael Foley’s homebred raced prominently up the centre in first-time cheekpieces and asserted at the two-furlong pole. A length in front entering the final furlong, he kept on as the fast-finishing Sarahmae reduced the winning margin to a neck.

The most valuable win of Genesis’ career vindicated Mulvany’s decision to drop back in trip, despite the five-year-old’s three other career wins coming over six furlongs.

“I know he’s a very fast horse; I’ve always said that,” the trainer commented. “He’s had bits of problems with his wind, and he’s had a couple of jobs done on him. It seems to be working this year.

“He’s shocking pacey at home and that’s why I said I’d bring him back to five. We tried him at Cork the last day, it was his first time at it, and I’d say it was a shock to the system.

“Before this we’ve been riding him to try and get home but today I said to Wesley to go out there and ride him from the front. He did everything that he was asked.”

Bargain buy

Ado McGuinness’ Rockingham contender Dark Ace was well-supported and finished third, but it was the more lightly-raced Pierre Royal who landed a big pot in more ways than one when taking the Dubai Duty Free Derby Festival Handicap at odds of 12/1, having been 25/1 earlier in the day.

One from three and rated 88 for Dermot Weld and Moyglare Stud Farm, the Kingman gelding was picked up by McGuinness and BBA Ireland for 48,000gns at Tattersalls last October and ran a respectable sixth following a year-long absence on his stable debut 18 days prior.

Reunited with Adam Caffrey, A Twist Of Fate Syndicate’s unexposed four-year-old settled in midfield and eased into contention with eye-catching ease two furlongs out. Last off the bridle, he was ridden to lead inside the final furlong and kept on to beat Booyea by a length and a quarter, with another three lengths back to Playin Cool in third.

McGuinness won the 2021 running with another horse-in-training purchase, Sirjack Thomas, and on his latest winner, said: “He looked a nice model, and we’ve been lucky out of Mr Weld’s before. It was nice to get another one. He’s a big horse and he needed a bit of time.

“We love Ballybrit so I’d say that will be our next port of call. Then Champions Weekend and then we might have to get our suncream!”

A cut above

The fourth and final €100,000 premier handicap of the day provided the widest winning margin, as the Gavin Cromwell-trained In My Teens (9/1) eased seven lengths clear in the Dubai Duty Free Irish EBF Ragusa Handicap under Gary Carroll.

By Camelot and out of dual Grade 1-winning hurdler Jer’s Girl, J.P. and Noreen McManus’ homebred four-year-old had smart flat form last season but had failed to transfer her talents to hurdling in five starts.

Hooded, as she always has been in her 11 career starts, the bay raced in midfield and was full of running turning for home. She needed little encouragement to lead passing the two-furlong pole and the game was over soon after, with This Songisforyou doing best of the remainder.

“She’s a talented filly but not straightforward,” Carroll explained. “She’s quite keen and forward going,” said Carroll. “Today everything just fell right - they went hard, I got into a lovely position and she relaxed.

“Two out I had to give her a squeeze and she took off. She’s a good filly when she does that and then when she does things wrong, she goes the other way. I probably won too far but I think she’s a filly that will have no problem stepping into blacktype races when conditions suit and the race falls her way.”