TRIPS to Royal Ascot later this month were mentioned for two winners at Listowel on Sunday with trainer Henry de Bromhead hopeful of the opportunity to run his veteran Ballyadam in a handicap at the much-anticipated meeting.
The Cheveley Park Stud-owned 11-year-old, who has run at each Cheltenham Festival since 2021, recorded his first success on the flat when taking the Lane Family Memorial Handicap under a confident ride from Billy Lee.
Running in his first handicap on the flat off 74, Ballyadam, the even-money favourite, easily got to the front turning into the straight and raced to a three-length win from Cala Gracioneta, earning a 7lb rise in the ratings to a new mark of 81.
Lee commented: “To look at, he is an absolutely beautiful horse and he is the same to ride. He really enjoyed going two miles today and travelled everywhere. He was just doing enough at the line so I had to keep him up to his work, but he won cosily and is just getting cute in his old age.
“Henry said beforehand that he would love to get him into a Royal Ascot handicap as he thinks it will suit him, so it is lovely to get this win. He wants every yard of two miles or more, and in a place like Ascot, two and a quarter or two and a half miles would be ideal.”
De Bromhead’s double
Ballyadam was his trainer’s second winner of the meeting as he had earlier struck with the Ronan Whelan-ridden Tim Toe in the featured Cocvo At The Arcade Race.
The Chris Acheson-owned 9/1 chance had all four rivals ahead of him at the furlong-pole but he readily picked them all off and led in the final strides to pip Andy Slattery’s front-runner God Of Power by half a length.
“He was a little outpaced early but when he got into it, he found his feet and the more juice in the ground suited better than the last day. Even though he had been running over further, he has always shown a lot of pace in his races and is a horse for the future on the flat.
“He really rallied home and I’d say he clocked a good time for the final furlong. He is exciting, he is also only getting the hang of things and is a horse with a lot of ability.”
Royal rendezvous
Royal Ascot’s Norfolk Stakes is next for Mick Mulvany’s The Scallionator who won the opening Irish EBF Median Sires Series Maiden in the hands of Wesley Joyce.
The 15/8 shot headed the pacesetting Ischgl, trained by Ciaran Murphy, a furlong out to score by three lengths, a third two-year-old winner of the season for the Meath-based trainer.
Mulvany said, “Like all of ours, he is improving with each run and the owners want to go to the Norfolk now, so he’ll go straight there. He had loads of gears, he put it up to Barrow Boy at Navan the last day and while I thought we had him over a furlong out, he is still learning on the job.
“He came here with all the experience; he is a good little horse and hopefully it is onwards and upwards now. He carries the Dublin colours and is owned by the Cleary family, who are from Ballinteer and are born and reared Dubs.”
THE Gordon Elliott-trained Ndaawi had to battle hard to justify his odds of 8/13 favourite in the concluding Acro Fire & Safety Race for amateur riders. The promoted winner of last year’s Galway Hurdle, got home by half-a-length from 5/4 chance Sky Captain.
Harry Swan, the winning rider, said, “I thought I had Johnny (Barry, on runner-up Sky Captain) very easily but his horse battled back and I was a little worried a furlong down. My lad only just does enough and the runner-up isn’t a bad horse either.
“Gordon will chat with the owners now and see about maybe going back for the Galway Hurdle again and I’d say it could be likely he’ll run.”
Sky Captain’s trainer Paddy Twomey also lost out by the same margin in the earlier Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies 2-Y-0 Maiden which went the way of the Joseph O’Brien-trained Beibhinn, racing in the colours of his mother Annemarie.
The Declan McDonogh-ridden 5/2 chance battled with Twomey’s 11/8 favourite Big Negotiator from the off and only got on top inside the final 100 yards.
McDonogh said: “She is very straightforward and always has been from day one. She travels with a bit of pace and when Billy (Lee, on runner-up Big Negotiator) went a neck up on me, I thought he had me but she wanted a fight, and that’s her.”
THE Michelle Connolly-owned Unauthorized had far more to spare as he took the Croom House Stud Handicap for trainer Aidan Melia and jockey Reese Holohan, who began his Leaving Cerificatet on Wednesday
At odds of 6/1, he came through to lead well inside the final furlong and pulled clear to win by two and a quarter lengths from the John Nallen-trained Mercurial, a second success for the three-year-old.
Holohan said: “He was forward when he won at Leopardstown and we were going off the same plan again today, but they were out quick and went on a nice gallop, so I just felt comfortable where I was. I can see plenty of improvement to come out of him.” Trained by Matthew Smith and ridden by Robbie Colgan, the 15/2 chance La La Lucrative made a winning return to action in the James Collins Memorial Handicap.
Shay Gillen’s five-year-old was having his first start since December and edged clear of his rivals a furlong and a half out to beat Andrew Kinirons’ Ukiyo by four and three-parts of a length.
Smith stated: “Robbie said the ground and track suited him and he settled away in behind the leaders. I was hoping he’d run well and it worked out ideally. We’ll go for something similar again next.”