REST OF THE CARD
THE star English sprinter Mecca’s Angel got her season back on track in style in the Group 2 Kilfrush Stud Sapphire Stakes where she led home a one-two-three for the raiders.
Last season’s Nunthorpe Stakes heroine beat just one rival in the King’s Stand Stakes at Ascot, but here enjoyed an ideal warm-up for another trip to York. Only six runners went to post for this five-furlong dash, but this was a race high on quality and Mecca’s Angel starred in a race run at a blistering pace.
Paul Mulrennan took a lead from compatriot Gracious John through the first few furlongs, but when he asked the 5/4 favourite to push on the race was as good as over. Mecca’s Angel surged away over to hand out a three-length beating to compatriot Brando. Gracious John held off Sole Power for third. On going that was slower than last year’s, Mecca’s Angel posted a quicker time than when bested by Stepper Point in 2015.
“Ascot was a disaster. I’d say it was two things there, she only showed in season when she was going into the stalls and the ground was against her as well,” commented Michael Dods, who trains the Dark Angel mare for David Metcalfe. “After Ascot she had three weeks off and she’s just cantered for the last 12 days. She’ll go back for the Nunthorpe and hopefully we won’t have firm in the going description.”
The Mick Easterby-trained Perfect Pasture (16/1) rounded off a day to remember for Paul Mulrennan with a clear cut triumph in the €100,000 evoke.ie Scurry Handicap. The 99-rated six-year-old had a good draw and was among a number of runners firmly in contention as the final furlong loomed. He then produced a tremendous effort and shot clear to make this an utterly one-sided affair in the closing stages. Perfect Pasture finished with two lengths to spare over Master Speaker.
“The boss was very bullish this morning and he loved the ground,” stated Mulrennan. “He’s a very versatile horse and five, six or seven furlongs is fine for him. He might be a horse for an Ayr Gold Cup later in the season.”
For the third time in four years Aidan O’Brien bagged the Jebel Ali Racecourse & Stables Anglesey Stakes as Peace Envoy (3/1) readily outpointed the odds-on Psychedelic Funk. Ryan Moore rode a confident race on the Power colt, who still looked to be going nicely approaching the last furlong as Psychedelic Funk, Radio Silence and Mirdif were battling for the lead.
Peace Envoy brushed aside this trio with authority, beating Psychedelic Funk by a length and three-quarters, to leave his trainer contemplating a crack at Group 1 company for the Railway Stakes second.
“He’s a big horse and he’s progressing very well. Ryan was very confident in him after riding him the last day,” said O’Brien. “He has a choice between the Phoenix Stakes or the Prix Morny. Caravaggio is there for those races too so we’ll probably split them up.”
On his third racecourse outing, the Joseph O’Brien Arcada (13/2) upstaged some well-touted rivals with a commendable all the way triumph in the Darley EBF Maiden.
Donnacha O’Brien began to wind up the tempo from some way out and he had a very willing partner in the Rip Van Winkle colt. The newcomer Capri emerged as the biggest threat but he was still half a length down at the line, while the favourite Taj Mahal, a brother to Gleneagles, finished the same distance back in third.
“He had a good first run and we thought he’d be hard to beat here on Derby weekend (fourth to Alexios Komnenos) but Donnacha felt that ground was just too soft for him then,” commented O’Brien of the Lloyd Williams-owned colt. “He might come back here next month for the Futurity Stakes.”
Fresh from his fine third in the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot, Twilight Payment (4/6) made the most of his abundant stamina reserves in the Kilsaran International Maiden. The Godolphin-owned colt was sent straight to the front by Kevin Manning as he dropped back to a mile and a half and he raced with a good attitude. He started to come under strong pressure turning for home and his foremost challenger Ex Patriot looked to be going much better at this point. Twilight Payment refused to yield though and stayed on well to the line to prevail by a length.
“That’s him, he’s tough. Two miles suits him very well but there’s not much for him over that trip as a three-year-old. We might have a look at the English St Leger,” stated Bolger.
The admirable Have A Nice Day (13/2) notched up the ninth victory of his career in the seven furlongs Killashee House Hotel Handicap which enabled Sabrina Harty to get off the mark for the season. David Simmonson last rode the gelding when the pair struck at Dundalk in February 2015 and this was Have A Nice Day’s first triumph since he won this race last year.
The Laurence Dempsey-owned gelding got the better of the front-running An Saighdiur by half to prevail by half a length, with Club Wexford finishing a further neck away.
“He loves the Curragh and we said we’d claim off him today as we hadn’t done so in a good while,” commented the trainer. “He’s run well in the seven-furlong premier handicap at Galway (Ahonoora) before that’s the plan but he’ll need his ground – he wants it better than it was today.”
Just over two years after he became Adrian Keatley’s first winner in Ireland in this race, a back-to-form Zeftan (14/1) annihilated his opponents in the Boodles Ladies Derby Handicap. The seven-year-old returned from over a year off at Naas earlier in the month and progressed very well on that creditable display.
Zeftan was travelling very strongly for Helen Mooney as the runners filed into the straight and the pair sauntered clear over the last furlong and a half to finish some nine lengths clear of Udogo.
“We knew Naas would bring him on,” reported the trainer who also owns the son of Bachelor Duke. “He had 4lb less than when he won this race before and then Helen was taking a further 7lb off him. We’ll see if there is anything in Galway for him.”
Acting Stewards
F. Clarke, T.L. Crawford, C. O’Flaherty, P. Coveney, P.D. Matthews
Horse To Follow
NEARLY FAMOUS (Mrs J Harrington): This filly ran quite well in the maiden won by Twilight Payment where she finished fourth. She could well be placed to advantage in a maiden through the second half of the season.