IT was a very notable day in the training career of Johnny Murtagh as he sent out his first pattern race winner for the Aga Khan when Shartash pounced late in the Group 2 GAIN Railway Stakes.

Murtagh enjoyed many great days in these colours as a jockey, which included Irish Derby wins on Sinndar and Alamshar, and he joined the great owner-breeder’s roster of trainers last year.

From the moment Shartash finished third to Tough Talk in a maiden here in April, he looked one of the most promising horses that Murtagh has thus far unleashed for the Aga Khan and the 9/1 shot confirmed that here.

Ben Coen had to be patient for a gap to arrive amongst the leading trio heading into the last couple of furlongs but eventually he found room between Borletti and Age Of Kings to make his challenge.

To his credit Shartash picked up smartly and he got to the front in the final yards for a short head success over the odds-on Blackbeard who played up in the preliminaries and proved quite a handful prior to being loaded.

Lucky colours

“These colours have been very lucky for me over my career and we had some great days. For His Highness to send us horses to train was special and for this horse to win the Railway is a special day for the yard,” declared Murtagh.

“He’s a nice horse with a good turn of foot and the good ones have that turn of foot. After he won at Naas in May we had this race in mind for him so we freshened him and in terms of where he goes now he’s got a Keeneland Phoenix Stakes entry. He’s a fast horse and might get seven furlongs later in the year.”

O’Callaghan’s Crown

Michael O’Callaghan and Leigh Roche also got among the winners as Fastnet Crown, in first-time cheek-pieces, swooped late in the €50,000 Dubai Duty Free Handicap over a mile.

A big handicap regular over the last year, the Michael Smith-owned and bred five-year-old was winning on Irish Derby weekend for the second year in succession as he came with a sweeping charge over a furlong and a half out to nail McTigue in the final yards.

“I’m delighted for his owner Michael Smith and the horse has been knocking on the door in these big handicaps so it’s great he’s got one today. The strong gallop suited and he might win another of these if the handicapper isn’t too hard on him,” remarked the trainer.

Aikhal storms back with forceful win

AIDAN O’Brien was out of luck in the Derby but the following race, the Group 3 ARM Holding International Stakes, suggested that the trainer could have a coming three-year-old force on his hands in Aikhal.

A promising juvenile but off the track until finishing last in the St James’s Palace Stakes the previous week, Aikhal won this 10-furlong contest in taking fashion.

The son of Galileo, who carries the colours of Mary Slack, was allowed to go off at 20/1 here but made a mockery of those odds. He led shortly after turning and then took several lengths out of his rials approaching the last furlong to put the outcome beyond doubt.

He eventually reached the line with four and a quarter lengths to spare over Duke De Sessa and it will be intriguing to see what direction he heads in through the second half of the season.

“He got held up in the spring and we couldn’t get a run into him. He went to Ascot without a run which wasn’t ideal and he finished unplaced but that can happen. We always knew he was good and Ryan said when he got off him that maybe we ran the wrong horse in the Derby. Hopefully he has a future,” observed O’Brien.

Teresa times it

Derby day began with a superb waiting ride from Billy Lee who produced Teresa Mendoza with a perfectly timed challenge to gain a precious first blacktype success in the Listed Dubai Duty Free Dash Stakes.

Ken Condon’s charge was dropped in last by Lee in a six-furlong race run a frenetic pace and those tactics worked a treat as the experienced four-year-old was able to cruise into contention nearing the last furlong without coming under the slightest semblance of pressure.

Knuckled down

Once she had to apply herself, the Ecurie Ama Zing Team-owned daughter of Territories knuckled down well to defeat Prisoner’s Dilemma by half a length with the favourite Power Under Me the same distance back in third. This was a first win in just under two years for the 2021 runner-up who was backed from 7/1 into 4/1 on track.

“We went very hard up front so I took a chance and dropped in to ride her for a place. They came back to me and I could sit longer than I usually do on her.

“She’s run plenty of good races at this level in the past and she was always going to win one,” remarked the rider.

Bengal lion

Lee went on to bring up a double as Willie McCreery’s Bay Of Bengal (11/4) made it two wins from three career starts in the Dubai Duty Free Handicap over 10 furlongs where the daughter of New Bay shaped like a potential stakes filly for the future. The Ballylinch Stud-owned four-year-old travelled nicely through the race and when the pressure came on with over a furlong to run, she responded splendidly. She got on top to score by a neck.

“When Billy is riding at the top of his game like that, he’s worth his weight in gold. He said he would play it late as he thought he hit the front too soon at Gowran the last day. He gave her a beautiful ride,” stated the trainer.

“She’s a filly with the heart of a lion and we’ll just let the dust settle and talk to John O’Connor and Paul Starr about future plans.”

Brave Native

The talented Wexford Native (18/5) secured the good prize that his talents merited in the Listed Dubai Duty Free Celebration Stakes where he bounced from an unplaced outing at Group 1 level at Ascot the previous week.

On just the fifth outing of a career that began in a Navan maiden in March, the Jim Bolger-trained colt showed a taking will to win and signalled that the best could still be to come from him.

Kevin Manning produced the Jackie Bolger-owned son of Teofilo to challenge approaching the last furlong and the Irish 2000 Guineas fourth fought hard for this success. He kept finding all the way to the line to edge ahead in the final strides and edge out The Acropolis by a neck.

“He’s always been a horse that we liked but he’s been a work in progress. I would say that we will look at stepping up to 10 furlongs now and hopefully he will progress further,” declared Bolger.

True Romance

Night Of Romance (5/1) made it two winners in as many days for Dylan Browne McMonagle as she claimed the €100,000 Dubai Duty Free Summer Fillies Handicap.

Very few of the runners ever got into this race as Needle Lace cut out the running from the Joseph O’Brien-trained winner and this pair remained at the head of the field entering the last furlong.

At this stage Night Of Romance, who picked up 9lb rise for scoring at Gowran Park 13 days previously, started to gain the upper hand and she kept on well in the closing stages to carry the day by a length and a half.

“I think the step-up to seven furlongs has been the key to her. We’ll see what the handicapper does with her now but she may have to go into blacktype races,” stated the trainer.