REST OF THE CARD

THE market provided the guide to the opener, with only two of the eight runners having previously seen a racecourse, and it was the 15/8 favourite, newcomer Final Frontier, who duly obliged in the Dubai Duty Free Finest Surprise EBF Maiden over six furlongs for owners Jules Cooper and Vimal Khosla.

Jessica Harrington’s strongly-built son of Dream Ahead raced mid-field until two out, at which point Shane Foley switched him to the outside and he quickened up nicely to be ridden to the line for an emphatic four and a half-length win, providing Foley with the first leg of a double.

“We’ve always thought he was a nice horse and he’s been working well with Rockaway Valley so I rather hoped he’d be able to win first time out,” said Mrs Harrington, who has a particularly nice group of two-year-olds this season. “He’s in the National Stakes and seemed to stay that six furlongs very well. He won very easily and he did it very professionally and when Shane asked him to go he went.”

POPULAR SPRINTER

It was a popular win for veteran sprinter Gordon Lord Byron in the six-furlong Listed Dubai Duty Free Dash Stakes and the Tom Hogan-trained gelding certainly looked well beforehand. The 100/30 shot hit the front a furlong out and stayed on well to hold off the tenacious Balmont Mast, finally drawing clear to score by three lengths for owners Dr Cyrus Poonawalla and Morgan J. Cahalan

The 15/8 favourite Tested can surely have a line put through her run and was eased up having never travelled. Paul Midgley on the other hand seems to be enjoying his Curragh raids and Line Of Reason was a creditable third for him, under Joseph O’Brien. He’ll now be dropped back to five furlongs, having not seen out the six in Midgley’s opinion.

“It’s nice to win here,” admitted Tom Hogan, “every time he’s come here before, something has gone wrong! They went a good gallop and that suited him. He had a lung infection earlier and I only had 19 days to get him ready for Royal Ascot and he ran too fresh, it was a brilliant run considering. He needs to run every three weeks or he gets too fresh and he’ll go to the Maurice de Gheest and Haydock Sprint for sure, then back to Hong Kong.”

Favourite-backers were denied by the shortest of margins in the Dubai Duty Free Jumeirah Creekside Summer Fillies Handicap, over seven furlongs, when Michael O’Callaghan’s 5/1 Military Angel didn’t get the clearest of runs and couldn’t quite catch the short-head winner Colour Blue.

“It’s easy to train the ones with heart,” said Willie McCreery of his 6/1 Garrett Freyne-owned winner, “and Connor (King) gave her a lovely ride. He probably got there a bit early, but she fought her way out and shot through. She’s an honest little filly and I’d love to win blacktype with her.”

GRATEFUL KING

Connor King was full of praise for his mount and added: “She’s a brilliant filly and she has been very good to me in my career so far and I would also like to thank Willie (McCreery) and her owners for their support.”

The Lady O’Reilly-owned Sovereign Debt seems to have hit a peak since joining Dandy Nicholls and Chris Hayes knows the key to him, the pair running out four and a half length winners of the one-mile Listed Dubai Duty Free Full Of Surprises Celebration Stakes at 9/2.

Hayes rode for home as they entered the straight and quickly overpowered long-time leader Fastnet Mist, the eventual third. Despite Flight Risk running on strongly in the final furlong and a half, Sovereign Debt never looked likely to be caught.

The 5/6 favourite War Envoy was a disappointing fourth, having dwelt at the start and never making much headway under pressure. This meeting appears to come too quick for Royal Ascot runners.

The winning trainer had a lot of joyful female fans with him, to make up an exuberant reception party, and he remarked: “It’s great for all the connections today. He’s never had any problems and I came over on the wagon with him and you wouldn’t know he was there. I said to Chris (Hayes) you go out and make up your own mind and he gave him a great ride. We had been holding onto him in his races but maybe Chris showed us today the right way to ride him.”

“He’s a star,” Nicholls added, “and he’ll go for all those nice mile races now and he may end up in Dubai.”

DOUBLE

Shane Foley brought off a double in the one-mile Paddy Power Handicap, getting the 5/2 favourite Hasanour home by half a length from the Sabrina Harty-trained and Leigh Roche-ridden Breathe Easy. Beau Satchel was third for Adrian McGuinness and Niall McCullagh, with Stop And Linger, who suffered interference early on, back in fourth.

“We’re thrilled with him,” said a delighted Michael Halford, “he travelled really well through the race and he’s very genuine. We may go to Galway with him.” Hasanour was winning in the colours of locally-based Fiona and Richard McNally

Sabrina Harty was more than satisfied with Breathe Easy, saying: “We’re delighted, it was his first run back of the season and whatever he does today he’ll do better. A better draw and he might have won.”

HIGH PROFILE

There have been some very high profile winners of the Group 2 Railway Stakes, run over six furlongs, and Painted Cliffs became Aidan O’Brien’s 12th winner of the race that regularly pin-points a future champion, joining the likes of Rock Of Gibraltar, Mastercraftsman and George Washington in the role of honour.

The only surprise here was that Painted Cliffs was sent off at a generous 7/1 despite having left his debut performance behind (eighth behind subsequent Royal Ascot winner Air Force Blue and Rockaway Valley) when winning last time out at Leopardstown.

Favourite was Jessica Harrington’s Rockaway Valley, backed down from 15/8 to 11/8 on the off, with Richard Hannon’s Norfolk Stakes runner-up Log Out Island finding plenty of support at 13/8.

William Buick dictated the pace on Log Out Island but Ryan Moore always had Painted Cliffs handy with Rockaway Valley settled in third. The order remained unchanged until the two-furlong pole, where Rockaway Valley drifted under pressure from Shane Foley and could find no extra, while Log Out Island’s Ascot exertion seemed to tell on him and he dropped back into third.

Painted Cliffs struck the front with a furlong and a half to go and stretched out impressively to win by a comfortable two and three-quarters of a length. “I couldn’t believe how well I was travelling, I was very impressed,” Ryan Moore stated, adding that the colt had idled a little in front.

“We’re not sure why he struggled on his debut. Joseph (O’Brien) felt he may have been babyish or idle, so we put blinkers on him and he seemed to like them,” Aidan O’Brien said of the Lisieux stud-bred winner. “We might take them off now. He’ll get further, I feel.”

BATTLE

Silwana (5/1) made up for a disappointing seasonal debut when just winning a battle to the line by a neck in the two-mile Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship EBF Handicap, overcoming the front-running Hurricane Ridge only within the final 100 yards. The 5/2 favourite Awesome Star could finish only third, four and a half lengths adrift of the two leaders.

“She just disappointed on her first run of the year and may have needed the race,” admitted winning trainer Dermot Weld. “She’s a good tough staying mare and we’ll keep her to a mile and six, and two miles.”

HORSE TO FOLLOW

ADELENA (J.S. Bolger):

In the maiden won by Final Frontier, Adelena looked a particularly rangy filly with plenty of scope and better to come as she fills her frame. She was left a little tight for room inside the final furlong and will come on for this run.

ACTING STEWARDS

F. Clarke, P.J.A. O’Connor, E. Flannery, P. McLernon, P.D. Matthews