MICK Mulvany continued a fine season with his juveniles when Lars Soldier (10/1–11/2) landed the featured Irish Stallion Farms EBF Nursery Handicap worth €33,500.
The winner of a Curragh maiden in April, Laurence Mulvany’s €3,500 buy was ridden handily on the near side before becoming short of room over one furlong out. He stayed on strongly inside the final 200 yards and, despite Wesley Joyce losing one of his irons, got up in the final strides to deny Howlin Wolf by a head. The winning trainer said: “We’ll probably be trying to go for the Birdcatcher (Naas) now to get the bonus.
“He’s a competitive little horse. He has been knocking on the door, but the opposition we were running against was very high.
“Wesley is very competitive on light weights and he is very strong. I think he only has one or two (winners) left on his apprenticeship.”
Change of luck
Sent off the 5/4 favourite, the Noel Meade-trained Roeillaun won the opening Irish EBF Auction Series Fillies Maiden under Colin Keane.
The Pier House Stud homebred broke smartly and raced prominently on the near side, before hitting the front a furlong out and kept on well to score by a length and a half from Ana Morello (16/1).
Meade said: “I think she has been a bit unlucky. The last day (at Naas) she was drawn on the wrong side and had to do all the racing on her own.
“She’s a nice filly and she’s in the [Goffs] Million and that other race in Naas. We possibly might have a rattle; we have paid the money.”
Hayes enjoys a smart double
CHRIS Hayes recorded a double on the day, beginning with Moltophino (3/1 favourite) in the five-furlong handicap. John Kinsella’s charge raced on the near side before coming under pressure two furlongs out. The Agricola Ficomontanino and Leaf Stud-owned bay stayed on strongly to lead inside the final 100 yards, beating Namid by three-quarters of a length.
Kinsella commented: “He was unlucky in the big sprint (Rockingham Handicap) in the Curragh earlier in the year.
“I always thought that horse might be a listed horse. He was down to a mark where he should be winning. He goes with a bit of dig in it, and we might go for the Joe McGrath (Handicap at the Curragh).”
Consistent
Hayes completed his brace aboard Handani (13/8 favourite), who streaked clear in the concluding Lynn Lodge Stud Maiden. The Aga Khan homebred swept on to lead two furlongs out and maintained the gallop to beat Sakoku (8/1) by three and a quarter lengths.
“He set the standard and he deserved to win,” Dermot Weld said of the Medaglia d’Oro gelding, who had placed on all his previous starts.
“He has been very consistent every time he has run. I’m very happy with him. We will move him through the grades slowly.”
Blacktype hope
Flowers Forest (4/1) was another promising three-year-old to shed her maiden tag in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden over a mile. Wayne Lordan asked Ballydoyle’s Siyouni filly to quicken and seize the initiative two furlongs out, and the Coolmore homebred kept on well to score by a length from Divine Legend (7/2 joint-favourite).
Stable representative Chris Armstrong said: “She had a lovely run the first day in Cork and ran nice enough in Roscommon. She has shown ability at home and this race worked out lovely.
“We will try and get a bit of blacktype for her. She might go to the Denny Cordell (Lavarack Stakes, Group 3) at Gowran. If she doesn’t get there, on to the Garnet Stakes (Listed Naas).”
THE Charles Weld-trained Millhone (4/1) ran away with the second division of the 10-furlong handicap.
Owned by the Weld family and Nick Hitchins, the blinkered filly saw out the stiff finish well to win by two and three-quarter lengths from the frustrating favourite Connova (100/30 favourite).
Rory Mulligan said: “She has been knocking on the door these last couple of months. She’s improving plenty.
“I quickened down the hill and kicked her on up it and she galloped out to the line. She is good and genuine, so I knew I needed to make plenty of use of her.”
Promise realised
African Affair (40/1) sprang a surprise in the opening division for Sheila Lavery and the Making Memories Racing Club.
The handicap debutant raced in mid-division early on and made smooth progress under Robbie Colgan to strike the front inside the final furlong, going on to win by three lengths from the 13/8 favourite, Make The Tide.
“We’ve always liked him,” Lavery commented. “He just took a big, huge growth spurt and got a little bit sore in his feet, so I just backed off him. I really thought today the ground was going to be too fast. Robbie said he just gave him a chance to get into it and then away he went.”
Light weight
Orla Tynan and Jennifer Lynch combined to land the 0-60 handicap over five furlongs with Irish Rumour (11/2).
The Jerry Fennell and Pat Phibbs-owned mare quickened under two furlongs out and got the first run on the eventual second, The Love Machine (14/1 – 9/4 favourite), prevailing by a neck.
“There’s a lot of weight in this saddle - riding the horse is easier than carrying this saddle!” exclaimed Tynan. “I knew she would stay going. I just didn’t want to have her on her head too early, but she travelled easy. She kept fighting the whole way.”