Balance Of Trade

(Mick Mulvany)

Gowran Park, June 2nd

Mick Mulvany has been doing a fine job with his string so far this season, with The Scallionator becoming his third two-year-old maiden winner of 2026 when collecting at Listowel last Sunday. A day later at Gowran Park, he had an eye-catching fourth at a lower handicap level, but one who should be able to belatedly open his account before long. Things did not go smoothly early doors for Balance Of Trade.

As soon as the gates opened, apprentice Terry Casey found his daylight was cut short from stall 11 and the three-year-old gelding got on the backfoot behind rivals. That can often spell trouble over a mile at this track. To his credit, the 46-rated maiden picked up in a determined fashion in the straight and was noted making decent late gains to be beaten three lengths by a trio of rivals, who all raced much closer to the pace.

If Balance Of Trade could gain some confidence from one win, he could be the type to follow up again while remaining in this 0-60 bracket.

Aestus Astevias

(Andy Oliver)

Curragh, June 3rd

There was a noteworthy, late market move for Andy Oliver’s newcomer Aestus Astevias in the six-and-a-half-furlong maiden at the Curragh on Wednesday and, while the gamble went astray this time (finished fifth), it’s not difficult to see why someone was encouraged by the three-year-old’s prospects from how she ran.

Having been priced up at 66/1 in the ring, the Inns Of Court filly’s odds crashed down to 17/2 at the off and she made a fair fist of it once the gates opened. Having come with a dangerous-looking run, she was worn down late on in a race where all four horses in front of her had the benefit of previous experience.

The half-sister to useful sprinter Jakajaro (peak Timeform rating of 117+) was only beaten a length and three-quarters and showed enough here to indicate that she’s good enough to win a maiden in due course.

Giant Sequoia

(Aidan O’Brien)

Curragh, June 3rd

Aidan O’Brien unleashed a number of beautifully-bred juveniles this week, several running races of promise in defeat. Giant Sequoia falls into that category, even if his winning stablemate Aix La Chapelle looked the more forward of the pair.

It was a fair vote of confidence in the Resolute Racing-Coolmore-Westerberg-owned colt that he was the choice of Ryan Moore and sent off 4/9 favourite, and he’s bred in the purple, being by Frankel and out of 2019 Oaks runner-up Pink Dogwood. The winner did well to reel in the experienced front-runner Bull Shark at the death, but it wasn’t an easy setting for a green debutant to throw down a serious challenge and the feeling is that Giant Sequoia will improve a bundle for the learnings of his first start. He was beaten three and a quarter lengths in third - eight and a half lengths clear of the fifth.

This is a maiden that is often won by high-quality sorts, including Group 1 scorer Hotazhell in 2024, while O’Brien has run top sorts such as Auguste Rodin, Lope Y Fernandez and Point Lonsdale here in the last decade.

One Number

(Joseph O’Brien)

Curragh, June 3rd

One of the biggest eye-catchers of the week came in the following six-furlong maiden for two-year-olds, where One Number flashed home from a most unpromising position to be second on his debut for Joseph O’Brien. It was a smashing start to his career in the colours of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede (owned in partnership with MacLennan Et Al).

This $140,000 breeze-up purchase from Ocala in March was beaten two lengths in second, but the impressive part was how he motored home from well off the pace, after shaping fairly green during the middle section. He briefly showed some inexperience when Dylan Browne McMonagle called on him to quicken, but he looked a talented operator when opening up his stride and running through the pack. He closed in on the Royal Ascot-bound winner all the way to the line to be beaten a diminishing margin.

According to RaceiQ, this American dirt-bred colt clocked the highest top speed of anything in this 13-runner line-up, his maximum stride length of 8.16 metres was a clear standout (7.83 metres and 7.70 metres his nearest pursuers on this metric) and he was by far the fastest through the final two furlongs.

Ashikita

(Johnny Murtagh)

Curragh, June 3rd

Given she had missed 817 days since tailing off in a maiden on her only other start, it was definitely a pleasing return to action for the five-year-old Ashikita on her debut for Johnny Murtagh in a mile-and-a-half fillies’ maiden on the same card. She never looked like threatening the winner, but did stick to her task in a reasonable fashion for a mare giving more than a stone to her rivals and back from such an absence.

This daughter of Camelot was bought from the Aga Khan’s Studs for just €3,000 at the Goffs November Mares Sale in 2024 and connections have had to be patient with her since. In the interim, her half-brother and stablemate Asakir has developed into a useful campaigner, winning a Leopardstown maiden over 10 furlongs in April and finishing second to Limestone in the Listed Yeats Stakes last month.

She was sent off a 125/1 shot here and was always going to be up against it, but she was still only beaten five lengths and there’s little reason she can’t build on this with natural improvement if staying in one piece.

She’s in the right hands to progress gradually and the way she kept boxing on when entitled to be tired was admirable.

Alpha

(Aidan O’Brien)

Leopardstown, June 4th

There appeared to be positive rumblings around Ballydoyle first-string Ibelieveicanfly ahead of her debut in the seven-furlong juvenile fillies’ maiden at Leopardstown on Thursday, and the experience of this run, fading to fourth after being right up in the firing line from the word go, ought to stand to her big time going forward.

However, her stablemate Alpha - a Sea The Stars filly out of the mighty Alpha Centauri - made quite the impression on her introduction and has every chance of being stakes class pretty imminently on this evidence.

Wayne Lordan had to get to work on his mount earlier than was the case for Ryan Moore, but the response was really taking from Alpha.

Having looked to have a job on her hands to land a telling blow at one point, she rallied to only be beaten three-quarters of a length in second behind one bound for either the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot or the Silver Flash back at this venue.

It was interesting to see the late market support arrive behind the second (sent off the 2/1 joint-favourite alongside her stablemate) and perhaps she was one to cope with the rain-softened ground better on this occasion.

If Alpha did end up taking her chance in the Chesham, while it would be a challenge for a maiden, she certainly wouldn’t disgrace herself.