DARRAGH KENNY continued his run of good form when he won Saturday afternoon’s Dublin Stakes riding Ann Thompson’s 11-year-old gelding Cassini Z, helping him win the leading international prize on Sunday afternoon (see A54).

“This class was very much the goal with this horse this week. He’s been an unbelievable horse for me, and has won a lot so I thought for this week we’d build him up for this class and try our best and it worked out well,” Kenny said afterwards.

“I think Alan (Wade) is one of the best course designers in the world, there’s nobody really better. He’s amazing at building a course, he doesn’t have to overdo it to get what he wants.

“When I went into the jump-off I actually spoke to Alan as I walked by him; I knew Bertram (Allen) was going to be a big threat and he had just had the third fence down so I thought I could go quick where I was comfortable but don’t go crazy.

“It was a difficult jump-off course and my horse is naturally very quick, but when I came out I thought that maybe I hadn’t done enough. Amanda (Derbyshire) who came after me is very fast but I was lucky to have been a little faster.”

Forty four starters had been reduced to just eight for the timed decider. Kenny was fourth to go and produced a foot-perfect round in a very fast 43.38 to set the pace. Derbyshire and Cornwall BH came closest to catching Kenny when they crossed the finish line clear in a time of 43.61 for eventual second place.

Michael Duffy and Carl Hanley’s Castlefield Rubinus left all the fences up but in a slower time of 45.67 for fourth place. Last to go, the USA’s Adrienne Sternlicht and Toulago made a decent attempt to catch the leaders but was just marginally slower in 43.67 for third place.