THE Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden was the opener on student race day at Galway and it went to blinkered newcomer Classiest (7/1) under Declan McDonogh.
The daughter of Wootton Bassett, trained for the Coolmore partners by Aidan O’Brien, tracked the pace which was set by her stablemate and odds-on favourite Ventosa.
She picked up well to lead inside the final furlong and pulled three and three-quarter lengths clear of Flawless Fusion with the market leader fading into third. It was 2006 champion jockey McDonogh’s first winner for Ballydoyle this season.
Stable representative Chris Armstrong said: “Doing that on heavy ground on debut around Galway was impressive and she’ll go on better ground. She is a little lazy at home and we felt the blinkers would bring her along, which they did.”
Doubling down
O’Brien and the Coolmore partners doubled up in the other two-year-old maiden when Proposition (7/2) scored under Ronan Whelan. As in the first race, it was a case of a bigger-priced Ballydoyle runner getting the better of an odds-on stablemate.
Whelan’s mount, down the field on his first start at Navan, wore down Garden Party (5/6 favourite) inside the final furlong to post a length and a half victory. The Frankel colt is closely related to top performers Magical and Rhododendron.
Whelan has ridden two Group 1 winners for Ballydoyle this year including last Saturday’s William Hill Futurity Trophy winner Hawk Mountain.
Stable representative Chris Armstrong said: “He was raw and babyish the first day. Even today he was still very raw but when Ronan galvanised him, he galloped out strong to the line. Ronan is down with us three days a week, is a great asset and a very good rider.”
Always tight
Trained by Fozzy Stack for Peter Piller, Never Loose (7/1) made a winning debut in the Corrib Food Products Maiden over seven furlongs.
The No Nay Never filly, a half-sister to five winners, got a lovely run through on the inner coming out of the dip and Joey Sheridan drove her past Thru And Thru inside the final furlong to post a four-length victory.
Sheridan said: “I’m over the moon for Peter who is a longtime owner in Fozzy’s and is a good family friend of theirs. She needed time to strengthen up but is there now and she will aim for blacktype.”
TRAINER Michael Mulvany is finishing the season in great form and Ribee (6/1) is certainly playing his part as his victory in the Kone Handicap was his third win in the month of October.
Gary Carroll partnered the Ribchester gelding, owned by the Lee Regan Partnership, to a half-length success over San Aer.
Mulvany commented: “He is a fine, big, strong horse and we might have a look at the Lincoln next March, as he would be ideally suited by soft ground conditions.”
Fifth in the Fred Winter at Cheltenham in March, Slurricane (8/1) recorded his second win on the flat when taking out the Domino´s Handicap under Shane Foley
The Kodiac gelding, who was wearing headgear for the first time, was never too far off the leaders and got the better of Granite Bay by a length.
Disappointed
Trainer Ross O’Sullivan commented: “We were disappointed with him in Listowel (seventh in the Lartigue Hurdle) as I thought he’d nearly win but he got in behind horses and didn’t enjoy it.
“We talked about it and Katie (wife) was adamant that Shane should give him room on the outside today. It is great for Eleanora Kennedy (owner) and she’ll be on cloud nine. He’ll go back for a hurdle race at Naas in two weeks’ time”
O’Sullivan had earlier landed the www.swordsecurity.com Nursery with the Donagh O’Connor-ridden Down The Glen (17/2).
Carrying the colours of owner/breeders John and Anna Mary Kehoe, the son of Gleneagles was ridden in fourth entering the straight and finished well to beat Aquilla Star by three lengths.
O’Sullivan commented: “He has size and scope and could be a 10-furlong horse next year. He could make a nice juvenile hurdler too.”
THE mile-and-a-half handicap for horses rated 0-60 was won in decisive fashion by You Make Me Smile (9/2) who was reappearing just three days after winning equally readily over hurdles at Sligo.
Fitted with a visor for the first time, the seven-year-old made her move on the outside coming out of the dip and was ridden clear by Chris Hayes to beat Cafe Con Leche by four and a half lengths.
Pat Fahy, who trains the winner for Trevor and Ryan Hennessy and Alan Fahy, explained: “Trevor Hennessy got to know my nephew Alan Fahy through working in construction some time ago and the Hennessys are top of the range guys.
“If I was broken down in Carlow, they’d come from Sligo to help. They are only 10 miles away from the track in Sligo so to win there on Friday with this mare was great, and now they have a win in Galway.
“I couldn’t have dreamt for a better result.”
Second success
Perry Mason (8/1) credited owner-trainer Maurice Ahern with a second success since taking out his licence in July as the bargain buy bolted up in the Barna Recycling Handicap under 7lb claimer Julian Pietropaolo.
The four-year-old had landed a big-field Curragh handicap six days earlier and led early in the straight here before going clear to slam Manhattan Dandy by six lengths.
Ahern reported: “I loved the look of him at the sales where he was a cheap horse (3,500gns), and he has rewarded us now. I’m based two minutes from the point-to-point field in Dromahane (Cork) and was training in pony racing all my life.”