RAHMI, a €48,000 purchase from a horses-in-training sale last November, paid back that price tag and more when he came through late to nut favourite Dunum on the line and take the second renewal of the €100,000 Bet 10 Euro Get 50 Euro Novibet Emerald Mile.
The Johnny Murtagh-trained four-year-old had shown a decent level in three starts for Francis-Henri Graffard in France. He finished eight to Dunum on his seasonal/stable debut at Limerick, but the combination of quicker ground, race fitness and a weight swing with that rival seemed to make the difference.
Danny Sheehy was content to sit off solid gallop set by Current Option and he was able to track Dunum all the way. The Richard McNally, Leo Walsh and L Murrin-owned gelding made his challenge on the stands’ side, just inside the two-furlong marker, sustaining his run all the way to the line but only getting the verdict on the bob.
“He’s been working well at home,” the winning rider reported. “We were drawn out in 16 and were a bit unsure about the ground as his form in France was on soft to heavy.
“We knew there was going to be a good gallop today and we were able to slot in. He was always comfortable and travelled well.
“I was lucky enough to be following Wayne (Lordan) on the eventual second and he helped to get me as far as I wanted to. In fairness he put his head down and battled well.”
The winner received a 6lb raise to a rating of 93 on Monday, but only has five starts to his name and can progress again. Dunum, chasing a sixth win in seven starts for Natalia Lupini, fought hard and was unlucky with the way he met the line. He may well scoop one of these big prizes before the season is out.
Smart
Cosmic Vega gave Mick Halford and Tracy Collins their first winner as a partnership at Naas two weeks ago and five days later they unleashed a potentially very smart performer in debutant Ostraka, who took the six-furlong Extra Place Races At Novibet Irish EBF Fillies Maiden.
The Anna Freyne-owned daughter of Profitable was held up in rear by Ronan Whelan, but produced a taking turn of foot to hit the front on the stands’ side late on, going right away to win by two and a half lengths from Willie Browne’s Roaming Star.
“She’s a beautiful filly and was bought by the late Garrett Freyne as a yearling,” said Halford. “Last year we brought her to a barrier trial and she disappointed. She lost a shoe and things just didn’t work out for her. She kept growing and weakened out on us so we put her away.
“She was working well and only getting going for us now. I thought she would come on for the run as she’s very laid back. She jumped a bit slow and Ronan just let her find her feet. You’d know from a long way down that she was travelling easy.
“Hopefully she’ll be a blacktype filly and we’ll sit down and see where we go from here.”
Verhoyen got such a fast start in the seven-furlong handicap that the stewards looked into whether he had forced open the stalls earlier than his rivals, but in the end they were satisfied Michael Grassick’s runner had judged the opening of the gates perfectly.
He led all the way for Billy Lee, as his wont, to score for the fifth time at the Curragh for his owners Paul Cullen, Joe Keeling, E J Dwyer and Grassick, who said afterwards he was in two minds about running the horse on ground potentially too quick but was satisfied with the watering efforts at the track.
WICKLOW trainer John Andrew Kinsella enjoyed the biggest win of his career with Bellaphina, who finished fastest of all off a sedate pace to take the €50,000 DNG Spring Fillies Handicap over a mile.
Ridden by Conor Maxwell, the three-year-old daughter of James Garfield settled relatively well off the slow gallop. She made ground inside the two-furlong marker, took it up inside the ‘one’ and held off the challenges of Clounmacon and favourite Snowcapped, who both had to come from further back.
This made it two wins from two starts this term for the winner, owned by Agricola Ficomontanino & Leaf Stud, after she sprung a surprise to win a seven-furlong fillies’ maiden at Cork. That was only her fourth start in all, so she has lots of scope to progress, and connections will presumably try and get her blacktype now.
“She was good the last day on ground she wouldn’t like,” Kinsella said. “She was coming back after a lay-off as she had sore shins last summer as a two-year-old.
“We knew she would come on loads from the last day and were confident that she would put up a good performance. She quickened up well and Conor said he was there a little bit too soon but she’s good and tough.
“She has plenty of gears and I’m delighted for a small place like ours to get a winner here on Guineas weekend. We have 15 in training and she’s the best older horse. There is a couple of nice two-year-olds.”
Subzero got off the mark for Aidan O’Brien and owners Peter Brandt and the Coolmore partners after he battled on well from the front to see off John Murphy’s Space Age to take the seven-furlong Live Music At McDonnells Bar Newbridge Irish EBF Maiden.
The Galileo colt, out of Albany Stakes winner Different League, ran nicely on seasonal debut at Leopardstown when finding only Sharlouk too good. He was in the seven-furlong three-year-old handicap here on Saturday but came here instead, probably a good decision considering his mark of 85 was unchanged on Monday.
The opening Irish EBF Auction Series Maiden went to Joseph O’Brien’s debutant Nemonte, who really finished out his race strongly to collar the Diego Dias-trained Gaenari inside the final furlong, scoring by a neck under Mikey Sheehy.
The daughter of Ten Sovereigns was led around the ring unsold at the Sportsmans Sale, but looked smart in the way she quickened up to score here in the colours of Annemarie O’Brien.
THE Irish Stallion Farms EBF Habitat Handicap was an intriguingly tactical affair, with both Jamie Powell and Shane Foley moving their mounts, Tawaazon and Hurricane Ivor, over to race on the stands’ side, in contrast to the rest of the field who came up the centre.
The move paid off because it was Tawaazon who emerged in front as the field flashed across the line, just seeing off Laugh A Minute by a head, while Hurricane Ivor was a neck away in third.
The five-year-old winner has been a revelation since joining James McAuley as this was a fifth win in nine runs for the Dublin trainer. He has proven extremely versatile, winning on the all-weather surface at Dundalk, on heavy ground and now here on quick ground.
Off a mark of 90, the general presumption from the market was he may be at the end of the line for improvement, but he defied that expectation, and the first prize of €29,500 was more than his previous four wins put together.
McAuley said: “When he hits the front he goes left so at some stage he was going to have to come left. Fair play to Jamie and it worked out brilliantly.
“He’s been flying up the handicap for smaller pots so he’s got a good pot now. He’s been a great servant for us since we picked him up in a claimer.”
Ado McGuinness and Adam Caffery, who went close to a win with Laugh A Minute, went one better in the last race, when Sirjack Thomas recorded a seventh career win.
The Dooley Thoroughbreds-owned eight-year-old hit the front in the centre of the track at the one-furlong pole for Adam Caffery and saw off challenges on either side to score off his lowest ever rating of 75 (received a 7lb rise on Monday).
McGuinness was complimentary of his rider after the race and suggested Galway will likely be on the cards for the winner, whose finest hour came at Ballybrit two years ago when he won the Colm Quinn BMW Mile.
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