A LANDMARK season for jockey Shane Kelly got even better as he bagged the first pattern race triumph of his career aboard Johnny Murtagh’s Create Belief in the Group 3 Invesco Pension Consultants Desmond Stakes.

Previously this season Kelly, who was standing in for suspended stable jockey Ben Coen, had notched up the first listed success of his career and he rode out his claim at Dundalk last month.

The Royal Ascot heroine Create Belief, apart from an unplaced run in the Salsabil Stakes when finding 10 furlongs too far, the RacehorseClub-owned filly is unbeaten this season and a 13lb hike in the ratings for her Sandringham Stakes success indicated that a transition to this class would present her with no problems.

The daughter of Awtaad duly produced a performance to match her rating and there could be even better to come from her. Twelve months ago Murtagh worked the oracle when the fast-improving Champers Elysees won the Matron Stakes and, in this three-year-old, he has a very similar sort.

In the race itself the 5/6 favourite produced a really impressive change of gear to sweep into a clear lead entering the final furlong and she was always doing enough to hold off the strong-finishing Georgeville who closed to within half a length at the line.

“We’ve just been waiting for a little ease in the ground since Ascot and it’s lovely ground out there tonight. She has a turn of foot and a bit of pace and once there’s no firm in the ground she’s fine on it,” said Murtagh. “It’s amazing when these fillies start improving. It’s a big step to make but the Matron Stakes is the plan after today. I was impressed with how she did it today.”

Oneiroi’s luck

There was a deserved change of luck in store for Oneiroi (7/1) who won the nine-furlong Plusvital Handicap. The Des Buckley-owned and -trained five-year-old hadn’t won since October 2019 but had only finished out of the first four once in his last eight starts, and a switch to forcing tactics worked the oracle.

After getting to the front early on, he was not for passing in the straight and he responded well to Ronan Whelan’s promptings to defeat Silent Performance by half a length.

There’s no limit for Greccio

PADDY Twomey’s uncanny knack of identifying burgeoning talent was yet again in evidence as he sent out new recruit Limiti Di Greccio (7/2) to land the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden over seven furlongs.

This daughter of Elzaam showed up well in two maidens at this track last month when trained by John Kinsella and she duly vindicated the faith of Twomey and owner Martin Schwartz with a display that bodes well for her prospects at a higher level.

The daughter of Elzaam had to do plenty of running from a wide draw but Billy Lee had her well placed in third turning for home and she produced a strong finishing effort to get on top and defeat Kerkiyra by a length and a quarter.

“It’s unlike me to run one only having her such a short time but she’s an absolute credit to Johnny Kinsella. She never missed a beat and did everything right since she came into our place. Johnny gave me great confidence the day I collected her that this would happen,” stated Twomey. “I’d imagine she will be back here for the Ingabelle Stakes on Irish Champions Weekend.”

Tut strikes

After coming up short when trying her hand in the Ballyhane Stakes at Naas last week, Jessica Harrington’s Tut Tut appeared to relish the step to seven furlongs in the €25,000 Irish EBF Auction Series Maiden. The daughter of Kodi Bear, whose debut effort yielded a fine second to the subsequent Group 2 winner Velocidad, struck the front for Shane Foley around 100 yards out for a head victory over Gabbys Girl.

The victorious 5/2 chance is owned by the It’s All About The Girls Syndicate and could also bid for glory in the Ingabelle Stakes, which the owner and trainer captured with Sparkle’n’joy in 2018.

Interpretation could be a St Leger contender

HE mightn’t have quite the profile of some of his contemporaries in Ballydoyle but Interpretation could yet be his trainer’s foremost St Leger contender after a tough and unrelenting success in the Listed Vinnie Roe Stakes.

The Peter Brant-owned son of Galileo came here off maiden and conditions race wins from his two starts this season and the step up to a mile and three-quarters looked sure to be right up his street.

The evens favourite relished every yard of this trip with a bold effort from the front. Ryan Moore’s mount was kept honest every step of the way by Fernando Vichi, but it never looked as though the latter would find a way past Aidan O’Brien’s charge.

At the line, Interpretation had one and three-quarter lengths to spare.

O’Brien double

Joseph O’Brien’s impressive run of form yielded another double, which made it 11 winners so far this month, and the trainer’s brace concluded with a third win on the spin for the progressive I Siyou Baby in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Handicap over a mile. The Champion Thoroughbreds-owned three-year-old was one of several runners who held every chance approaching the last furlong and she answered Mikey Sheehy’s every call to get home by half a length from Flagged.

The 9/2 shot was winning off a mark of 88 to suggest that a precious blacktype-placing isn’t that far off.

The mile maiden made for tough viewing for favourite backers as the 6/4 market leader Mutasarref seemed sure to score when hitting the front and going clear inside the last furlong.

However, he tied up badly when finding himself alone in the lead and the strong-finishing O’Brien representative River Derwent (7/2) and Shane Crosse landed in front on the line. The Sun Bloodstock-owned son of Kingman was making his debut for the trainer and was having his first start since December following two runs for David Simcock last year.