THE blend of youth and experience was the winning of the 2025 Paddy Power Supporting Cancer Trials Ireland Irish Cambridgeshire, as Jagged Edge - the only three-year-old in the line-up - and teenager Wayne Hassett surged through late on to provide the maestro Dermot Weld with yet another win in the €100,000 highlight.

This was the Rosewell trainer’s third win in the space of the last seven runnings of the feature on Pat Smullen Charity Race Day in aid of Cancer Trials Ireland, and the margins were tight in deciding this year’s outcome.

Engines On, racing from 6lb out of the handicap, made a bold bid from the front under Keithen Kennedy, though the 28/1 longshot had a real fight on his hands with ante-post favourite Genuine Article (easy to back at 9/1) a persistent force on his outer. The pair got into a right duel, but it was another of the bottom-weights - racing from 2lb out of the handicap after just three runs - who had the final say.

Hassett overcame a scare when a bump at the furlong pole briefly saw him lose his balance, and an iron, on Jagged Edge. The Newtown Anner Stud Farm home-bred picked up well, however, to prevail by a short-head over the former Weld-trained Genuine Article (a last-time-out Galway Festival winner for Ger Keane). Engines On was a further neck back in third, while Coeur D'or, stablemate of the winner, ran an encouraging race in fourth.

At odds of 22/1, Jagged Edge was continuing a theme of big-priced winners of the Irish Cambridgeshire. With 3/1 favourite Godwinson, trained by William Haggas, beating only one rival home, the record of no winning favourite in this race since 2000 continues. It was also a disappointingly small field of just 15 runners - the lowest turnout since 14 ran in 1999.

Weld said: “Both my horses ran super. The winner is a big horse, who loves to be fresh. When he won a maiden for us at Cork, he looked like he was going to go on but just lost his way. We left him alone and he’s come back nicely.

“The ground [good, good-to-yielding in places] was probably ideal for him, and all horses. Today was the day. I’m delighted for Maurice Regan and Newtown Anner, who are great supporters of mine and they bred him. I was delighted that Maurice’s mum Patricia was here today too, receiving the trophy. She’s a great lady.”

Charity joy

Later on the card, there were joyous scenes in the winner’s enclosure after the concluding Pat Smullen Cancer Trials Ireland Charity Race (supported by Ballylinch Stud), which was won in some style by Olivia Marnane on the Jessica Harrington-trained Mo Ghille Mar.

It’s been reported that at least €260,000 has been raised already on the day, boosted in no small part by the Curragh to Curragh Charity Cycle (final amounts still to be finalised). This means that the Charity Cycle, Charity Race and wider Race Day have all raised in excess of €1 million across the past five years.

On the excellent fundraising efforts that have taken place throughout, Weld added: “It’s great to see over €1 million being raised for pancreatic cancer. It’s such a wonderful achievement and I want to praise Francis Crowley for everything that she does, the whole team and everyone that contributes.

“It’s such an amazing achievement to be able to raise that kind of money. Please God, they will keep raising more in years to come.”

Congratulations to all involved in these monumental and hugely important efforts.