Weld’s ‘Bella’ battles to land Killarney prize for McDonogh

BELLA ESTRELLA held off the late lunge of Hence to land the Cairn Rouge Stakes at Killarney yesterday.

Winner of her first two starts last year, on her only outing this season the four-year-old finished fourth of six at Gowran.

As a result, Dermot Weld’s High Chaparral filly was sent off at 12/1 under Declan McDonogh, but showed a really willing attitude in the closing stages.

Having hit the front a furlong out, she began to look vulnerable as Aidan O’Brien’s Hence surged out of the pack, but stuck her neck out for a valuable black-type success.

The well-fancied Petticoat lost all chance when slowly out of the stalls.

Aidan O’Brien’s Anthony Van Dyck took a giant leap forward from his debut to run out a wide-margin winner of the Maiden.

While he had to be rousted along a couple of furlongs out by Donnacha O’Brien, once the son of Galileo hit top gear the race was over.

The odds-on favourite finished the race off so strongly, O’Brien struggled to steer him around the bend after the line and he collided with some plastic railing, but there was no harm done.

Jockey Sean Davis bagged a nice double, teaming up with John Oxx first to win the Killarney Racegoers Club Handicap on Miss Zizi (12/1) before joining forces with the upwardly-mobile Richard O’Brien to win the Killarney Avenue/Munster Joinery Handicap on Beach Bar (8/1).

Meanwhile, Scriobh Nua will have plenty in her favour when she tackles the Ladbrokes Irish EBF Race this evening.

Jim Bolger’s charge receives the 5lb fillies’ allowance and is the highest rated of the five runners on a mark of 95.

The daughter of New Approach was far from disgraced behind the imperious Alpha Centauri in the Irish 1,000 Guineas before justifying odds-on favouritism in a fillies’ maiden at Leopardstown and can resume winning ways after a fourth place in a Listed contest in Naas at the end of June.