YULONG Gold Fairy was the day’s star turn as she dominated the Foran Equine Irish EBF Auction Race Final which already had Dermot Weld looking forward to next year’s classic trials.
On her first start since winning a qualifier for this €120,000 prize at the Galway Festival, Yulong Gold Fairy looked every inch a stakes class filly in disposing of a field of 11 previous winners.
Furthermore, the daughter of Mount Nelson, who wears the colours of Yuesheng Zhang, was an absolutely ideal advertisement for this innovative series having been picked up for €8,000 as a yearling.
Yulong Gold Fairy was returned a well-backed 9/4 favourite for this seven-furlong race and her supporters never had an anxious moment. Pat Smullen had her nicely placed from early on and the race was as good as over when she swept by Quizical to lead with over a furlong to run. She maintained a strong gallop to the line to score by half a dozen lengths.
“She was impressive and today has always been the plan for her,” said Weld. “We’ll put her away and look forward to her as a stakes filly for next year. She will appear in one of the 1000 Guineas trials ”
Although Smullen landed the day’s feature, Colin Keane reeled off a crucial treble which put him seven winners ahead of his title rival heading into last night’s Dundalk fixture.
Ger Lyons supplied Keane with his hat-trick and a pivotal success for the jockey came when Elegant Pose nailed the Smullen-ridden Making Light on the line in the Listed Clodovil Irish EBF Garnet Stakes.
Making Light strode to the front with just under two furlongs to run and at this stage Elegant Pose was labouring in midfield. To her credit, Brendan Brackan’s younger half-sister dug in tenaciously and the 9/4 favourite found an extra gear to lead in the final stride.
“She’s as green as grass, she never travelled today like we thought she would and she can only improve with another winter behind her,” reflected Lyons whose Anamoine Limited-owned filly has won three of her four starts. “We’ve been training her with next year in mind and she won’t run again until next year.”
Earlier Lyons’ recent recruit Moonlight Bay provided her new connections with an immediate dividend on the €55,000 she cost at Leopardstown last month by taking the At The Races Birdcatcher Premier Nursery.
A winner of the first two-year-old maiden of the season for Kevin Prendergast, the daughter of Pivotal ran just once more before Joe Foley bought her for Steve Parkin’s Clipper Logisitics at the Goffs Champions Sale.
A confident Keane was quite content to bide his time towards the rear. Moonlight Bay (7/1-9/2) was last after halfway but when Keane brought her over to the far rail to launch her bid she picked up in some style. She collared the front-running Damsefly inside the distance and then held Guessthebill by a neck.
“She’s a nice filly and fair play to Joe (Foley) and Steve Parkin – she’s a nice addition to the team,” commented Lyons. “I spoke to Kevin Prendergast about her and he told me she was very genuine and honest and that she handles soft ground well. She is still on the leg and maybe we’ll leave her until next season.”
The treble was brought up by Mustajeer who shrugged off top-weight in the 10-furlong handicap. Yet another inspired purchase from the UK by owner David Spratt, this four-year-old looked well handicapped on his second to the classic runner-up and Group 1 scorer Ventura Storm last season.
The 11/4 favourite was going nicely when he switched out to challenge Espoir D’soleil but it took him some time to master that rival. He did assert in the closing stages though to pull three and a quarter lengths clear.
“I did think that he was my best chance coming here today. We knew he’d like the trip and the ground,” stated Lyons. “He’s a bit green still so hopefully there’s more to come. There’s another race for him either here or at Leopardstown that before the end of the season.”
The card concluded with a titanic finish to the Anjaal Irish EBF Bluebell Stakes where the John Oxx-trained Red Stars (9/1) notched up the her second listed victory.
The Newtown Anner Stud-owned four-year-old produced a tremendously game effort as, having made much of the running, she looked held in second when Tilly’s Chilli moved on nearing the last furlong.
Red Stars answered Declan McDonogh’s every call to force her way back to the front with around 75 yards to run. She got home by half a length. The first seven home were covered by just over two lengths.
“She goes on that ground and she stays very well. She’s very honest too which is what you need on a day like today,” remarked Oxx. “She stepped forward from a good run in Galway to run well at Limerick last weekend and she’s come forward again. The plan was to come here and then head for the November Handicap but I’ll speak to the owner about whether we retire her on that note.”
The Newtown Anner-owned Nibiru (20/1) broke new ground for Tony Martin as he became the trainer’s initial first time out two-year-old winner in the six-furlong Tifrums Irish EBF (C&G) Maiden.
This Casamento colt, who pushed jockey Oisin Orr into the outright lead in the apprentice jockeys’ title, started to come under pressure at the rear of the field passing halfway.
However, he finished well from over a furlong out to edge out fellow newcomer Castletownshend in the final yards.
“He’s a lovely horse and he had been away a few times and knew his job. He’d been to Ger Lyons’ a few times and Colin Keane has done plenty of work on him but unfortunately for Colin he had to ride Ger’s horse there,” declared Martin.
“I thought that it might be a bit short for him and he showed it as he was struggling early on. Hopefully he’s a nice horse to go forward with.”
The other juvenile maiden went to Aidan O’Brien as Dramatically (4/1) showed excellent progress from her unplaced debut at Dundalk late last month to run out a convincing winner of the Rathasker Stud Irish EBF Fillies Maiden.
The daughter of War Front came with a strong charge for Donnacha O’Brien and she finished two and a quarter lengths ahead of Betsey Trotter.
“She’s done that nicely. I was actually pleased with her first run as she was very green and didn’t face the kickback. She’d prefer better ground but that was a nice performance,” observed the rider.
Jockey Gavin Ryan saw his claim reduced from 10 to 7lbs as Mearu (4/1) provided him with the third success of his career in the 10-furlong apprentice handicap.
The Geraghty Bloodstock Syndicate-owned filly, whose half-sister Cimeara made a winning debut in a two-year-old maiden at Gowran, came home with five and a half lengths to spare.
“She’s ready for the paddocks now. She is out of a Galileo mare and breeding will be her job,” reported Bolger.
Suspensions
COLM O’Donoghue and Gary Carroll both picked up two-day whip suspensions for their efforts in the finish of the Bluebell Stakes, while Robbie Downey was given a one-day whip ban for his efforts.
Goldrush
JIM Bolger reported that the unbeaten Goldrush may sign off for 2017 in the Listed Cooley Stakes over a mile at Dundalk next Friday.
ACTING STEWARDS
N. O’Byrne, P.N. Reynolds, S. Collins, J.R. Craigie, P.W. Murtagh
HORSE TO FOLLOW
CHEERING (A.P. O’Brien): This daughter of War Front shaped up nicely on her debut when finishing fourth to Dramatically and giving the impression that she would improve considerably.