FLYING filly Mooneista (10/1) credited Jack Davison with much the biggest success of his nascent training career as she upstaged a number of better fancied rivals to strike gold in the Group 2 Paddy Power Sapphire Stakes.
Beforehand the focus revolved around Logo Hunter, the fast improving Romantic Proposal and the Commonwealth Cup third Measure Of Magic. However, none of these could hold a candle to Mooneista who found this quick ground much more to her liking than the testing conditions she encountered at Royal Ascot.
Not long after halfway it appeared as those that who had raced on the pace were starting to flag while over on the near side of the track the Davison family-bred Mooneista, who carries the colours of the trainer’s mother Paula, was tanking along for Colin Keane.
Dandy Man filly
From over a furlong out it looked as though there would only be one winner and the daughter of Dandy Man subdued the Greenlands Stakes hero Gustavus Weston to succeed by a length and a quarter.
“This is a tough game and it’s very hard to get ones like her and we’re really lucky to have her,” reflected the trainer. Even though the ground went against her at Ascot she still ran creditably and today she was in tip-top shape. She’s very good and she’s very tough.
“As she develops she’s going to get stronger which is very exciting and I hope she might progress into a Group 1 sprinter. Provided everything goes smoothly in the interim she will be back here in September for the Flying Five.”
Powerful surprise
There was a 50/1 surprise lying in wait in the Paddy Power Scurry Handicap as Major Power, owned, trained and jointly bred by Eddie Lynam, picked an opportune time to bag his first win on turf. This highly accomplished polytrack performer had never shown much on grass previously but he put everything together to make the most of a favoured berth over towards the stand’s side rail.
The Danny Sheehy-ridden six-year-old was never that far off the pace and once he got to the front he fought on splendidly to hold the oncoming Hightimeyouwon by a head.
This made it back-to-back Scurry victories for Lynam who struck with Romantic Proposal in 2020.
“He’s had his issues and he’s had his wind done and he’s never shown much on turf but he’s been a good horse on Friday nights at Dundalk and it’s just great he’s won this,” remarked Lynam, who bred the winner jointly with Sabena Power.
Mehmas’ Beauty Inspire follows up in Anglesey
BEAUTY Inspire followed up his debut success on Derby weekend in the Group 3 Jebel Ali Racecourse And Stables Anglesey Stakes which represented a first triumph in the race for Ger Lyons.
The Beauty Stable Partnership-owned son of Mehmas was hugely impressive in his maiden but achieved this latest success in different fashion. He raced a little keenly through the early stages and then came under strong pressure as the last furlong loomed.
The 1/2 favourite readily answered Colin Keane’s call and got on top to defeat Andreas Vesalius by a length and a quarter with the runner-up stablemate Hadman back in third.
“Visually he wasn’t as impressive as the first day but that was a maiden and he’s still babyish.
“He was keen but Colin held on to him and maybe the horse got a little disappointed but he fought on well for Colin when he needed him and there’s plenty of improvement in him,” reported the trainer’s brother Shane.
“We’ll take him home now and let him tell us when he’s ready to run again. Maybe it will be the Phoenix Stakes back here next month and there’s the Middle Park later in the season while he has entries at York as well – we’ll see.”
Banker Baptist
The strength of Fozzy Stack’s juvenile team was in evidence yet again as the trainer sent out the newcomer John The Baptist to strike at 50/1 in the Juddmonte Farms Expert Eye Irish EBF (C&G) Maiden over seven furlongs.
A son of Caravaggio and his yard’s talented sprinter Scream Blue Murder, this gelding was ridden by Mark Enright and was never too far off the pace but he found himself with a number of lengths to find when Shark Bay attempted to put this race to bed entering the last couple of furlongs.
John The Baptist, who is owned by Cayton Park Stud and Sue Magnier, stuck to his task to nail Shark Bay on the line. In a bunch finish there was less than a length and a half covering the first half dozen.
“He has a bit of talent but was fairly hardy in the spring which is why we gelded him.
“I thought he’d run a nice race but you never know what you will meet in a race like this,” remarked Stack.
“Mark put a lot of work into him at home and has done a very good job on him and that’s why he rode him. I’m not sure where he will go now as he’s a bit limited, being a gelding.”
The first nursery of the season, which was sponsored by Dingle Whiskey and was restored to its traditional slot on Oaks weekend, went to Joseph O’Brien as the well-backed Swift One obliged under Mikey Sheehy.
The Annemarie O’Brien-owned son of No Nay Never had shown promise in each of his three maiden outings and was sent off at 7/2 chance to collect. Over the course of the last furlong he got the better of the front-running Jarvis and he reached the line with two and a half lengths to spare.
“He had run in three strong maidens. We always liked him at home but I’d just say the three races he ran in before now were strong,” commented O’Brien. “He’s won over six furlongs there and will have no problem going another furlong so maybe we will look at the nursery in Galway with him.”
IT was a day to live long in the memory for Georgie Benson (21) who rode her first winner on the track when Denise Foster’s Elite Trooper Grey sprang a 14/1 surprise in the Kildare Village Ladies Derby Handicap.
The winning rider, who has previously looked after the likes of Cause Of Causes and Apple’s Jade, was picking up a chance mount as she only returned to Ireland for a holiday but the stars aligned for her on this occasion as the top-weight bounced back from a series of unplaced runs over hurdles.
The Francis Mangan-owned Elite Trooper Grey held every chance from early in the straight and saw out the mile-and-a-half trip to defeat Crassus by a length and a quarter.
“Georgie is a great girl and gave him a great ride. The horse had been running over hurdles but
“I think switching back to the flat on this sort of ground suited him very well.
“He might stick to the flat for the moment and could head to Galway,” remarked the trainer.
ANOTHER milestone success was in the concluding Aquaturf Handicap over two miles where Dinard Rose (4/1) provided Nina Walsh with her first training success on the flat, eight years after her previous victory in the training ranks.
After showing up well in similar events at the Guineas and Derby fixtures, the tough five-year-old came back to her best to notch up her fourth success on the level. Andy Slattery got her to the front early in the straight and, having looked likely to be picked off by the top-weight Ever Present, Dinard Rose plumbed the depths to find further reserves inside the last furlong and forge on again at the finish.
She got home by half a length while there was nine lengths back to the remainder.
“This is where I had my first winner as a rider so it’s lovely to have my first flat winner as a trainer here. She’s essentially the only one I have in training at the minute and she’s a huge asset at home where she leads along young horses,” declared the owner-trainer.