SKITTER Scatter ensured that the biggest victory of Patrick Prendergast’s career arrived in style as she dominated some of the best fillies in the country in the Group 2 Debutante Stakes.

A nine-runner line-up laden with quality made the Debutante one of the races of the season and Skitter Scatter produced a display worthy of the race.

The Anthony and Sonia Rogers-owned daughter of Scat Daddy came here off a victory in the Group 3 Silver Flash Stakes at Leopardstown in July but the yielding to soft ground was by far the slowest surface that she had encountered.

Any concerns about the going were dispelled by the manner in which the 7/1 chance travelled through the race for Ronan Whelan, and, with over two furlongs to run, she and Lady Kaya were the only ones yet to come under strong pressure.

When Skitter Scatter asserted with over a furlong to run, she found herself in splendid isolation and she was not for passing over the course of the last furlong. The winner, who gave the impression that she still had something left in reserve, finished two and a quarter lengths clear of the 50/1 outsider, Bandiuc Eile. The favourite, Zagitova, was a further half-length away, with Lady Kaya fourth.

“I was very worried about the ground but she’s just so so honest she got through it and she deserves her place in the Moyglare Stakes,” said Prendergast. “She’s all guts and just makes training easy. It’s great for a small yard like ours to have a filly like her.

“If the Moyglare were to come up heavy then we would have to have a think about things but Ronan believes that she has so much guts she would come through it.”

Anthony Van Dyck’s steady ascent to the head of the juvenile colts’ division continued in the Galileo Irish EBF Futurity Stakes but not before he was given an exacting test by stablemate Christmas.

A winner of the Group 3 Tyros Stakes on the same evening that Skitter Scatter won the Silver Flash, this son of Galileo was the 4/6 favourite to give Aidan O’Brien a fifth win in this seven-furlong Group 2 in the last six years.

Christmas bowled along at the head of the field and set quite a brisk tempo, with the result that he had the field at full stretch from at halfway. However, Anthony Van Dyck raised his effort in determined fashion for Ryan Moore. He moved by Christmas passing the furlong pole and then only needed to be pushed out to get home by a cosy half-length. Mohawk completed a Ballydoyle one-two-three.

“They needed to learn a little and that’s why they swung along there. The last day was Anthony Van Dyck’s first time back over seven furlongs and he can be a little lazy in the middle part of his races but he was doing that well in the last furlong,” commented the trainer.

“I imagine that he will be back here for the National Stakes and the other two could be back here for that as well. He’ll be very comfortable going back to a mile and he’s always looked like a horse who will get middle-distances.”

A memorable 2018 yielded an eighth domestic stakes race triumph for Jessica Harrington as Beautiful Morning (5/1) returned from almost four months off to record a last gasp victory in the Group 3 Manguard Plus Royal Whip. For much of the straight in this 10-furlong affair, the outcome looked to concern Deauville and Success Days as they went toe to toe at the head of the field.

BATTLE

That prolonged battle began to take its toll and the chasing pack closed in with the Colm O’Donoghue-ridden Beautiful Morning finishing off best of all. Her sustained burst over the last furlong enabled her to defeat Deauville by a nose, with Broadway flashing home on the inner to grab third.

Last year’s National Stakes winner, Verbal Dexterity, stuck to his task well to finish fourth on his first run of the year.

“I was very happy to see the rain for her this morning, it’s been a frustrating summer with her,” declared Harrington, who trains the five-year-old for Jon Kelly and James Witz. “She’ll be back here for the Group 2 Blandford Stakes on Irish Champions Weekend.”

Harrington then followed up with a one-two in the Irish EBF-sponsored mile-and-a-half fillies’ handicap where the Capel Street Syndicate-owned Rovetta accounted for Echo Park. A winner on the flat and over hurdles at the Galway Festival, the improving Rovetta (5/2) was the only threat to the front-running Echo Park with two furlongs to run and apprentice Shane Crosse got her to the front to carry the day by two lengths.

“They are two improving fillies who would probably both stay two miles. Soft ground is important to Rovetta and she has all sorts of options,” reported the trainer

Sheila Lavery has yet another smart juvenile on her hands in Breaking Story who belied odds of 33/1 to make a winning debut in the seven-furlong Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden. This race was confined to newcomers and attracted plenty of interesting types but nothing travelled through the race like Robbie Colgan’s mount who is owned and bred by his trainer.

It was looking quite ominous for Breaking Story’s rivals when he loomed up on the outer with a quarter of a mile to run and there was plenty to like about the manner in which he asserted in the last furlong.

He finished with three-quarters of a length to spare over I Am Superman, with the 50/1 chance Playa Del Puente shaping up nicely in third, a further half a length back.

“He’s been ready to run for a but he was just a little shelly so we gave him some time,” stated the trainer. “Robbie said he had loads of horse when he hit the front and the horse then just pulled himself up a little but he went again when he heard the others coming.”

The reliable Idalia (16/1), who had been placed on all four of her runs since moving into handicaps, secured a deserved success in the extended six-furlong handicap. The Tracey Collins-trained and Niall McCullagh-ridden three-year-old surged away from her 29 rivals over the course of the last furlong to defeat the top-weight Rattling Jewel by three and a half lengths.

“I was disappointed she didn’t win the last day but coming back to six furlongs has worked the oracle. She’s still a little immature and she just needs to learn to relax,” stated the trainer of the Robert Norton-owned filly.

Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore were also successful with Lost Treasure (5/1) who returned from 315 days off the track in the six-furlong Gabriel Curran Memorial Maiden. The three-year-old son of War Front came through to hold every chance with a furlong to run and he kept on well to edge out the 68-rated Ajmera by a head.

“The easing ground was a little bit of a worry,” observed O’Brien. Lost Treasure was due to run in a five-furlong handicap at the Curragh last evening off a mark of 80.

Last year’s third, Emily Square (11/2), went two places better in the latest renewal of the Tipperary Crystal Rose Ladies Handicap. Just over three years after her only previous success, the Tom Mullins-trained daughter of Bushranger pounced inside the last furlong for Helen Mooney to see off Universal Focus by a head.

“She was a year older and 12lbs better off from last year and she was unlucky a couple of times here last year. She’s one that you can’t get there too soon on and Helen gave her a lovely ride,” remarked Mullins.

Goddess out

AIDAN O’Brien indicated that Goddess, who looked potentially top-class when winning her maiden before turning in a below par effort in the Silver Flash Stakes, may not run again this season.

Klute lame

THE promising maiden winner Klute was found to be lame on his left foreleg after finishing at the rear in the Futurity Stakes.

Suspensions

COLM O’Donoghue was given a one-day whip ban for his efforts on Beautiful Morning in the Royal Whip and Lisa O’Neill was hit with a five-day whip suspension after partnering Miro into third in the lady riders’ handicap.

ACTING STEWARDS

N.B. Wachman, S. Barry, N.P. Lambert, L. McFerran, M.F. O’Donoghue

HORSE TO FOLLOW?

CLASHANISKA (G. Elliott): This son of Dark Angel made a bright start to his career by taking fourth in the maiden won by Breaking Story and appeals as a likely maiden winner between now and the end of the season.