JOSEPH O’Brien, Dylan Browne McMonagle and Billy Lee each landed a double as the Killarney July festival kicked off with an all-flat card on Monday.

Lee was first off the mark as he partnered Paddy Twomey’s City Of Dubai to take the opening Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden for two-year-olds.

Aidan O’Brien’s Oklahoma, the 30/100 favourite tried to make all the running under Wayne Lordan but was headed by 8/1 chance City Of Dubai well before the furlong-pole.

Oklahoma faded into third place as the Ger Lyons-trained Francillon, another 8/1 chance, came through late on for the runner-up spot, half a length behind the winner.

Twomey commented: “His mother is by Galileo and he’s by Mehmas, I think he’ll get a mile and a quarter as a three-year-old. He’s a big, scopey horse with a staying pedigree. Today was a start and I’d like to take another step, if we can, before I get into anything.”

Moon rises on time

Billy Lee bagged his second winner on the evening in the concluding Heights Hotel, Killarney Handicap on Henry de Bromhead’s Chicago Moon, racing in cheekpieces for the first time.

A 45th winner of the season for the Limerick jockey, the 11/2 chance came with a late effort to deny front-running Canon Law by two and a half lengths.

Rousted along from the stalls, 13/8 favourite Point Cartwright couldn’t go the early pace and was stone last into the straight. He flashed home to take third place, a further three-parts of a length back.

Lee, who rejoined Colin Keane at the head of the jockeys’ championship with this success said: “She gallops all day. She’s won nicely, she’s one that holds a little bit for herself so you’d be hoping she’d progress from that and there might be another day in her.”

JOSEPH O’Brien and Dylan Browne McMonagle won back-to-back races to add to the four winners they shared over the previous two days.

Placed third on her debut and a runner-up on both starts since, Vauntingly stepped up to take the Kerry Publicans Summer Race Day Fillies Maiden at odds of 13/8 favourite. She made every yard of the running and never once looked in any danger.

The champion jockey said: “It was straightforward. She has experience and she likes to go forward so there was no point complicating things.

“She’s been bumping into a couple of nice types. It was her first time going a mile-and-a-half today and it suited her well. She’s getting better with each run and hopefully she can keep on improving.”

Run-away winner

Completing the O’Brien/Browne McMonagle double was Highwayman who also looked to appreciate a step up in trip as he ran away with the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Median Auction Maiden over the extended 11 furlongs.

The 5/2 chance was stepping up from eight furlongs and went clear to win by all of nine lengths from the Donnacha O’Brien-trained 7/2 Yogini who snatched second place from Loch Gamhna on the line.

Michael Halford said of the winner: “He’s a lovely horse, very straightforward. Dylan said he was a bit green on a tight track around the bends. When he asked him to quicken up, he quickened up well.”

Straight Up ability

There was a second odds-on shot turned over as Res Ipsa lost out to Oklahoma’s stable companion Straight Up in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Race.

A 15/8 chance for Aidan O’Brien and Wayne Lordan, Straight Up came under pressure two furlongs from home but he wore down the 4/7 favourite close to the finish to win three-parts of a length.

Representing the winning trainer, Chris Armstrong said: “He’s a horse with a fair bit of ability. Maybe something like the Desmond Stakes at Leopardstown could be next for him or he could go up to a mile and a quarter.”

AN odds-on chance that did manage to win was 10/11 favourite Molto Amichi who made all the running to record a cosy success in the Killarney Glamping Handicap.

Ridden by Luke McAteer for trainer Eoin Griffin, the five-year-old was well on top as he beat the nine-year-olds Earls and Howyoulikethat (winner of the same race in 2023) by two and a half lengths and by three and a half lengths respectively.

Griffin said of the Muchos Amigos Syndicate-owned winner: “It’s been a while coming and unfortunately horses like him tend to get a reputation maybe for being ungenuine and it wouldn’t be well deserved in his case.

“He’s been second five times and third and fourth another four times. We were wondering if it was going to happen.”

The SIS Supporting Irish Racing Handicap went the way of Johnny Soda who notched up his third win of the season in the colours of the Go Nutz Racing Syndicate.

Successful at Cork in May and at Leopardstown last month, the Ado McGuinness-trained 4/1 chance battled well under Adam Caffrey to get the better of Joseph O’Brien’s 5/1 shot Vishaya by half a length.

“I was told he was a very nice horse and he’s proved it now. I thought we weren’t well handicapped at the start of the year but he’s done really well.

“It’s a great bunch of lads that own him. Most of them are from Dublin. They’ll be happy men today so I’m delighted,” said McGuinness.