A BRIGHT start to the season for Aidan O’Brien’s classic team continued into this fixture as War Secretary put himself in line for a crack at some higher profile targets in the coming months with victory in the Listed Avenue Inn Dundalk Patton Stakes, which kicked off a treble for the trainer.
On his second and final outing last season, the War Front colt won a maiden over this seven furlongs in good style. He returned to the fray against a field that contained a pair of Group 3 winners and the stakes scorer Ambassadorial but the English 2000 Guineas and Derby entrant was more than equal to the task at hand.
War Secretary (5/2) made most of the running for Seamie Heffernan and then showed a fine attitude when Noivado arrived with a sweeping challenge in the last furlong. The latter seemed sure to find a way past at this point but an unyielding War Secretary dug in well to prevail by a neck. Ambassadorial was a further two lengths back in third.
“He’d been working nicely and he’s a likeable sort. I was hoping he’d win and hopefully he’ll improve plenty from this,” said the winning rider.
SMOOTH WINNER
The Ana O’Brien-ridden Key To My Heart (11/4) became the second Ballydoyle winner in the extended 10 furlongs fillies’ maiden. The 86-rated filly, who was placed on four of her five outings last season, went straight to the front and was untroubled at all stages.
The daughter of the American Grade 1 heroine A Z Warrior had her rivals hard at work from the turn-in and maintained a useful advantage throughout the last quarter of a mile to finish two and a half lengths ahead of stablemate Puppetshow.
“We went a nice gallop and she kept going, she stays well. The blinkers sharpened her up ,” reported Ana O’Brien.
San Remo, the first Frankel offspring to win in Ireland, brought up the treble in the three-year-old handicap over an extended 10 furlongs. Donnacha O’Brien conjured a steady effort from the 4/1 chance who gradually worked his way into contention from the turn-in. Victory could still have gone any one of four ways inside the last furlong but San Remo kept on best to the line to defeat Room To Roam by a head.
Earlier, the Donnacha O’Brien-ridden True Blue Moon had the distinction of being Joseph O’Brien’s first two-year-old winner of the season as he outpointed the Ballydoyle representative, Dali, in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden.
The son of Holy Roman Emperor, who carries the colours of his breeder Brian Dolan, was returned the 11/10 favourite and he began to take charge approaching the last furlong. In the closing stages he kept on well to contain Dali by half a length.
“He shows us plenty of speed at home,” reflected the trainer. “He was quite green through the race and ran off the bend a bit so he should improve nicely from this. We’ll look at a winner’s race for him and hopefully he could be a nice colt.”
SUCCESSFUL WEEK
Red Sabor (8/1) made it three winners in five days for Andy Slattery with an especially willing effort in the three-year-old five-furlong handicap.
The Brendan O’Sullivan-owned gelding wasn’t going at all as well as Yulong Xiongyin or Fasuba off the last bend but he kept finding more for Declan McDonogh. Inside the distance, the determined Red Sabor began to edge ahead and he finished half a length ahead of Yulong Xiongyin.
“He ran well here as a two-year-old when he was second to Swish in a maiden and he just didn’t stay seven furlongs on his comeback at Naas last month,” remarked Slattery. “Like all of mine he’s just taken a run and he’s a tough horse. He’ll head for a six-furlong three-year-old premier handicap at the Curragh next month.”
After reeling off a treble here on Friday, Jim Bolger notched up another success on the polytrack courtesy of Locus Standi (2/1) in the 45-65 rated handicap over an extended 10 furlongs. The Jackie Bolger-owned and Kevin Manning-ridden five-year-old was just 4lbs higher than when scoring here last month and he got the better of a last furlong duel with Six Silver Lane.
The five runner claimer was turned into an utterly one sided affair by the Johnny Levins-trained Burn The Boats (11/4) who followed up his victory in a similar event several weeks ago.
Donagh O’Connor allowed the David Spratt-owned winner to saunter past Elusive In Paris well over a furlong from home and the former premier handicap victor crossed the line with five and a half lengths to spare. Burn The Boats was then claimed for €12,000 by James Mescall to join Elusive In Paris’s trainer Johnny Feane.
Shelbe (8/1) notched up her second triumph for Banbridge-based trainer Matt Quinn as she pounced late in the 45-65 rated five-furlong handicap.
In November, the daughter of Big Bad Bob won over an extended 10 furlongs at this track but she took the drop back to the minimum trip in her stride.
Shelbe only had one rival behind her at the top of the straight but launched a sustained charge under Andrew Breslin to deny the favourite Pillar in the final yards. Shelbe carries the colours of the McNally Racing Syndicate.
Whip ban
DONNACHA O’Brien was given a three-day whip ban for his efforts on San Remo who won the three-year-old handicap. In the same race Colin Keane, who rode the runner-up Room To Roam, was given a one-day whip suspension.
Chris Hayes picked up a one-day whip ban for his efforts on the third placed Fasuba in the handicap won by Red Sabor.
ACTING STEWARDS
P.N. Reynolds, R. Dore, P. Molony, D. McCorkell, S. Quinn
HORSE TO FOLLOW
GOPSIES DAUGHTER (D.G. Hogan): This filly didn’t show much in maidens but did much better on her handicap debut when beaten only a length into third by Shelbe. This was only the fourth outing of this six-year-old’s career and she can surely improve further.