AFTER posting a succession of honourable efforts in defeat the Johnny Murtagh-trained Silmaniya got her turn in the featured Irish Stallion Farms EBF Premier Nursery over five furlongs on a day when horses looking for an ease in the ground finally got their chance to shine.
The Aga Khan-owned daughter of Expert Eye lined up off three runner-up efforts having begun her career with a fine third to Statuette at this track in late May and this looked a good opportunity for her on her first venture outside of maiden company.
The well-supported 13/8 favourite was nicely placed for Ben Coen from over a furlong out and she responded to her rider’s promptings to make her way past Polar Bear late on.
Silmaniya edged right in the closing stages and bumped Polar Bear but a stewards’ enquiry left the placings unchanged and allowed her neck victory to stand.
“She’s a filly with a lot of ability. Sometimes you could question her attitude but you couldn’t question it there because it got tough and she dug down.
“She’s been busy so I’ll speak to the team back home and see what we’ll do, but she could run once more this season,” stated Murtagh.
Smyth first
Later on the card, Lee Smyth secured his first winner of the season as Spirituoso, in the colours of the trainer’s stalwart patron David Adam, won the first divide of the 47-65 rated apprentice riders’ handicap over 10 furlongs.
A 66/1 winner at Dundalk the day before the turf season got underway, the four-year-old struck at the much more cramped odds of 9/1 as she looked to build on a couple of runner-up efforts.
Jack Kearney’s mount surged clear of the field from over a furlong out to carry the day by five lengths.
A return to Dundalk for the winter season is on the winner’s agenda.
Step forward
The other division of the apprentice handicap went to Ross O’Sullivan as Mr Rango (6/1) relished the easy going to take a marked step forward on his previous efforts this term.
A fourth career winner for jockey Tom Kiely Marshall, the John Harney and Paul Brophy-owned four-year-old got on top in the closing stages to defeat the 28/1 chance Speckled Meadow by just over two lengths.
“We were just waiting for the rain all year. He had run well on a couple of occasions but this is the first wet day in about three or four months and it definitely makes a difference,” stated O’Sullivan.
“The further the better with him and today with the rain it just made it a bit more of a stamina test for him.”
CURRAHEEN Princess, who made great strides towards the end of last season, has maintained her remarkable progression for trainer Nicky Stokes in 2022 and she secured her third victory of the year in the P.F. ‘Mutt’ Conlon Memorial Handicap.
This ultra-reliable five-furlong specialist recorded the first of her six career wins off a basement mark of 47 at Bellewstown under a year ago.
On this occasion she was taking her chance off a career-high rating of 81, but the daughter of Prince Of Lir showed there is still more in locker.
The 11/2 shot raced on the pace throughout for Joe Doyle and stuck to her task nicely in the closing stages to defeat Tide Of Time by three-parts of a length.
Premier plan
A tilt at a premier handicap – the Joe McGrath at the Curragh later this month – is the plan for Tom Egan-owned filly whose tally this term stands at three wins and three seconds from seven starts.
The other sprint handicap yielded a second success of the season for the James Lambe-trained and Seamie Heffernan-ridden Ever Rock (14/1).
The Richard Behan-owned six-year-old had been holding her form since scoring at Fairyhouse in late May, and Heffernan produced her to take charge in the closing stages for a length-and-a-half success. This mare is another who has done well over the last couple of seasons, this her fourth win since July 2021.
Pat Martin’s decision to part with €4,000 to secure Intend out of a Dundalk claimer in March was rewarded when the four-year-old bolted up in the 47-65 rated handicap over a mile and three-quarters.
This son of Red Jazz had shaped quite nicely on his first three starts for the trainer but took a step forward here under Jamie Powell to register a commanding triumph.
Intend (11/1) led around a quarter of a mile from home and easily saw off the previous week’s course-and-distance winner Swelltime by four lengths.
Decision not welcomed by punters
ODDS-ON punters had a mixed day with the 5/6 chance Arinniti getting turned over by Executive Decision (8/1) in the Irish EBF Auction Series Fillies Maiden over just short of six furlongs. The Shane Foley-ridden winner produced a brave effort from the front as she was strongly pressed by the favourite for most of the last quarter of a mile.
To her credit, the Theresa Marnane-owned daughter of Ardad kept finding more and she battled hard to reach the line with a head to spare. She is the third winner to emerge from the Cork maiden won by the exciting Easy in late July.
“We didn’t have her very long before she ran in Cork and she was a little bit weak but she’s strengthened up a lot since then. She toughed it out well there today and I think she’s a nice filly,” declared Foley.
Later, the Ger Lyons-trained 5/6 chance Redressed pulled victory out of the fire in the Irish EBF-sponsored fillies’ maiden over a mile.
The Juddmonte-owned daughter of Le Havre looked to be in big trouble when she lost the lead to Native Queen with over a furlong to run, but she rallied splendidly to get back on top inside the distance and reached the line with half a length to spare.
“We were very happy that the rain came as she definitely wants a cut in the ground. We’ll see how she comes out of this race. It will all be about next year with her,” stated the trainer’s brother Shane.
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