LAST year’s Irish Derby hero Latrobe warmed up for a potentially busy international campaign as he claimed the Group 3 GRENKE Finance Ballyroan Stakes to record his first victory since that famous classic success 13 months ago.

The Lloyd Williams-owned son of Camelot was the 9/10 favourite to give Joseph O’Brien a first training success in a race he won twice as a rider.

Latrobe was ideally placed in second in this steadily run mile-and-a-half contest and moved to the front just under two furlongs from home. Once he got there, Latrobe was always doing enough for Donnacha O’Brien and he saw off Guaranteed by three-quarters of a length, with the promising Broad Street a further length and a quarter back in third.

“Lloyd and Nick (Williams) felt it was important for him to get a win under his belt this year and then make a plan for the second half of the season,” commented Joseph O’Brien. “There’s races here, in America, Australia and Japan for him so I’m not exactly sure where he will go next. He’s a versatile horse and has run well from 10 furlongs up to a mile and three-quarters this year.”

Donnacha O’Brien then followed up on the 78-rated Quote, trained by his father Aidan, in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden. The 11/10 favourite posted an improved effort when upped to a mile and a half at the Curragh last month – losing out by a neck to Halimi.

Her second try at this distance yielded a straightforward front-running triumph over Hannon.

Tenacious

The market expected the one-mile Irish Stallion Farms EBF (C&G) Maiden to go to Aidan O’Brien and the Ballydoyle trainer was successful but not in the order the betting suggested as the Seamie Heffernan-ridden Cormorant obliged. The latter’s stablemate Mythical was sent off at odds-on for his first run but he could only manage sixth as a tenacious Cormorant built on his debut fourth to Free Solo.

Jim Bolger’s promising newcomer Agitare looked to be holding off Cormorant for most of the straight but succumbed to his willing rival in the final yards. It will be interesting to see how the victorious son of Kingman fares later this season given that this race’s recent roll of honour includes the Group 1 performers Madhmoon, Free Eagle, Order Of St George and Galileo Rock.

AIDAN Howard’s eye-catching run of form continued into the Fitzers Catering Handicap over six furlongs where Miss Jabeam (5/1) became the trainer’s fourth winner from his last six flat runners. Billy Lee had to be patient on the recent Curragh scorer but an opening arrived for her early in the last furlong and she took full advantage to record a neck success over Ducky Mallon.

“She appreciates top of the ground and she was quite a weak two-year-old but she’s strengthening up all the time. Hopefully, there might be more to come from her,” reported Howard who trains the filly for the Newtown Downs Syndicate.

Billy Lee went on to complete a double as Drakensburg defied top-weight in the mile-and-a-half Bulmers Handicap. A sixth winner in three weeks for Tony Martin, the 11/1 chance won nicely. He had work to do turning in but readily scythed through the pack to defeat the 50/1 chance Ilikehim by three-quarters of a length.

The five-year-old, who is owned by the Mulvany’s Bar Syndicate, was recording his third win from his last five starts and could be an interesting contender for decent staying handicaps later in the season.

“The faster the ground the better for him and he’s had an issue with his wind in the past so I thought that the hill in Galway mightn’t be for him,” declared the trainer.

THE still unexposed Galeola made it three wins from four starts in handicaps with a dominant performance in the Manguard Plus Handicap and she can hold her own at stakes level.

A step-up in class is the next target for the Sheila Lavery-trained four-year-old who could now tackle Saturday’s Group 3 Give Thanks Stakes at Cork.

The 3/1 favourite, who is owned by the trainer’s brother John, cruised through this one-mile seven-furlong contest for Robbie Colgan and she stamped her authority on the race over the last furlong to defeat Moonmeister by two lengths.

“The ground worried me because I thought she was better on soft but Robbie said that she strode out to her chin on it,” remarked the trainer.

Prunella Dobbs registered her first success of the flat season as the Leigh Roche-ridden Airgead fought off 18 rivals in the 45-70 rated mile handicap.

The 10/1 chance turned in a willing effort to see off the top-weight and favourite Waterlemon Bay by a neck. The three-year-old carries the colours of Chris Clinch.

OISIN Orr picked up a one-day careless riding suspension in the Ballyroan Stakes after the stewards looked into an incident turning for home.

Apprentices Luke McAteer and Siobhan Rutledge also picked up one-day whip suspensions over the course of the evening.