IN a result to warm the heart, Elusive Time sprung a 25/1 surprise to claim a famous victory for trainer Takashi Kodama and jockey Ross Coakley in the €100,000 Tote Irish Cambridgeshire.

One of just six horses under the care of his trainer, the nine-year-old Elusive Time had been under consideration for retirement at the end of this season. However, this success has now fuelled thoughts of an assault on Irish Champions Weekend for this well-travelled gelding who was once a mainstay of the Scandinavian scene.

Almost five years after he achieved his biggest success in a listed race in Sweden, Elusive Time was allowed to go off at 25/1. He had been in fine heart in recent months though as evidenced by a Leopardstown win and a decent fourth here in late July.

Coakley’s mount was one of several winners during the day to come up the stand’s side rail and, having bided his time towards the rear, he was unleashed with a sweeping challenge over the last quarter of a mile. He led just inside the last furlong and finished out well to defeat Surrounding by two lengths. Sinfonetta secured third with the favourite, So You Thought, taking fourth.

“That’s unbelievable, especially for a nine-year-old. He hasn’t run that much over the last couple of years but suddenly in the last couple of months everything has come right for him,” said the trainer whose charge is owned by the Elusive Time Syndicate. “He might now run in the seven-furlong handicap at Leopardstown on Champions Weekend. The trip may be a little on the sharp side but he ran well in that race a few years ago.”

He didn’t quite manage a clean sweep of the day’s Group 3 contests but it was a fine afternoon for Aidan O’Brien as he reeled off a pattern race double and unveiled a potential star in the first. The tough Rain Goddess completed the O’Brien Group 3 brace with a deserved success in the nine-furlong Snow Fairy Stakes.

A dual Group 1-runner-up this season, the Galileo filly was returned to domestic action following an unplaced effort in Chicago two weeks previously.

To her credit, the 11/4 joint-favourite was clearly none the worse for her busy recent schedule. The Ryan Moore-ridden Rain Goddess mastered her front-running stablemate Key To My Heart early in the last furlong and then contained the staying-on English raider Intimation by half a length.

“She has some very good form and last time in America she was just drawn out a little wide,” stated O’Brien. “This is a good trip for her – a mile and a half just stretches her – and she could be back here for the Blandford Stakes in a couple of weeks. Now that she’s won her group race we could travel her again later in the season.”

Earlier, the reliable U S Navy Flag bagged the Group 3 Plusvital Round Tower Stakes for O’Brien and Moore. A fortnight after his respectable fourth in the Phoenix Stakes, the War Front colt was notching up a deserved pattern race triumph on his eighth outing of the season.

The 5/4 favourite led from early on and had the stand’s side rail to guide him home over the last couple of furlongs. Several potential challengers were stacked up behind the leader after halfway but they were soon left toiling as U S Navy Flag galloped on relentlessly to defeat Landshark by half a dozen lengths.

“He’s plenty of speed and is a good actioned horse so quick ground would be an advantage to him,” reflected O’Brien. “He’ll probably stick to six furlongs for the time being and we’ll look at the Middle Park Stakes for him now.”

A potential stellar talent was on show when the O’Brien-trained Saxon Warrior ran out a hugely impressive winner of the Irish Times EBF (C&G) Maiden over a mile. This son of Deep Impact and Maybe was an 8/1 shot in a race where his trainer fielded two other runners and he looked every inch a top-drawer performer in waiting.

A patient Donnacha O’Brien looked on from the rear of midfield with the result that Saxon Warrior only had three rivals behind him with a quarter of a mile to run. When he was switched out to make his bid, he produced a stunning effort as he picked up the leaders with imperceptible effort and, despite only leading around 150 yards from home, he sauntered clear to score by three and a quarter lengths.

“He looks a very smart colt. He was just ready to come racing and Donnacha said that when he pulled him out he just took off,” reflected Aidan O’Brien. “Donnacha was impressed with him and he’s a big, powerful horse but we’ll try not to go too quick with him. He could come back here for the Beresford Stakes but he could drop back to seven furlongs too.”

Next year’s Irish 1000 Guineas was at the forefront of Willie McCreery’s mind after Liquid Amber upstaged the odds-on Ballet Shoes in some style in the Group 3 Flame Of Tara Irish EBF Stakes.

A highly impressive listed success at Tipperary several weeks previously made Ballet Shoes a red hot 2/7 favourite but it was Liquid Amber, just eight days on from her debut second to Punked over this course and distance, who was a resounding winner.

The Niarchos Family-owned daughter of Kitten’s Joy emerged as a major threat shortly after the market leader struck for home. As the last furlong loomed Billy Lee got Liquid Amber to the front and she drew away to finish with five lengths to spare.

“It wasn’t the plan to come here but she bounced out of her race last week and this race was reopened on Tuesday so I thought that it might be a small field,” declared McCreery. “I was hoping she’d pick up some blacktype but now she’s won we might put her away for the year and aim towards the 1000 Guineas back here in May. She’s a lovely, big, scopey filly.”

A crack at some of the best juveniles in the country could beckon for Brendan Duke’s Warm The Voice (4/1) who shrugged off top weight in the valuable Irish Stallion Farms EBF Premier Nursery Handicap. This Jackie Bolger-owned son of Vocalised built on a highly promising debut to win at Galway last time and he took a further step forward in this seven furlongs heat.

Warm The Voice held every chance for Kevin Manning from over a furlong out and he kept on willingly inside the distance to account for Medal Of Honour by half a length.

“He’s such a good colt and you haven’t seen the best of him yet,” reflected Duke. “He’s in the Beresford Stakes at Naas at the end of September. There is also a Group 3 at Leopardstown next Saturday and I’ll talk to Jim and Jackie (Bolger) but the Beresford is still plan A.”

A back-to-form St Brelades Bay (8/1) recorded his first win since April 2016 in the six furlongs Dublin Coach Handicap. Jessica Harrington’s charge was going notably well when he struck the front for Colm O’Donoghue with over a furlong to run and he asserted in good style to defeat Polly Douglas by three and a half lengths. The successful five-year-old carries the colours of the Jennings Carmichael Partnership.

Elsewhere, Tony Martin and Maxine O’Sullivan combined to land the Tipperary Crystal Rose Ladies Invitational Handicap with the Donal Houlihan-owned Our Rachael (11/1-7/1). The 56-rated five-year-old came into this mile and a half event looking for the first success of her career and she pounced late to see off Kate Harrington and Six Silver Lane by a length.

ACTING STEWARDS:

F. Clarke, P. McLernon, J. Rearden, A. Ryan, M.F. O’Donoghue.

HORSE TO FOLLOW:

FRIDTJOF NANSEN (J.M. Oxx): He made an encouraging start to his career by securing fourth in the maiden won by Saxon Warrior. This effort would indicate that a maiden victory is well within his reach this autumn.