Skitter Scatter chins O’Brien favourite Sergei
DUNDALK STADIUM
THE Aidan O’Brien-trained Sergei Prokofiev was all the rage before making his debut in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden at Dundalk last Wednesday at Dundalk Stadium.
Sergei Prokofiev is a son of Scat Daddy, who was establishing himself as a sire of great potential before his premature death in December 2015 when aged just ten. Caravaggio, a five-time Group winner (including two Group 1s) and leading Kentucky Derby hope Mendelssohn, a Grade 1 winner at the Breeders’ Cup meeting last year, are recent flag-bearing sons of his, both of them having also won at Dundalk.
Sergei Prokofiev was unable to follow in their footsteps on this occasion as, probably through inexperience on his debut, he was beaten a short head by the Patrick Prendergast-trained Skitter Scatter (5/1, Ronan Whelan) who is, rather appropriately, a daughter of Scat Daddy, so his presence is continuing to be felt at Dundalk.
The trainer went on to complete a double on the night when Red Persian (11/4) made all and battled on tenaciously when challenged to land the Avenue Inn Handicap under Chris Hayes.
Race two on the card, the Dundalk Business Club 2018 Claiming Race, saw the David Marnane-trained Seanie (7/2, Declan McDonogh) win quite snugly in gaining his first success over six furlongs. He found more when challenged in the final furlong, his rider saying about the three-time Dundalk winner, ‘He’s a good old warrior’.
There was a surprise in the Crowne Plaza Race & Stay Handicap as 25/1 chance Nightly Wailing, trained by Tom Cleary and ridden by his son Rory, gained a first career win on his first run over two miles when holding Scottish raider and 100/30 favourite Hediddodinthe at bay by a length.
The winning trainer said: ‘Hopefully, we’ll have some fun with him over the summer. The plan all along was to go hurdling.’
The card’s second maiden, the Irish Stallion Farms European Breeders Fund Median Auction Maiden, was won in good style by the Joseph O’Brien-trained newcomer Ming (14/1), who was ridden by Joseph’s brother Donnacha. It was Joseph’s eleventh winner at Dundalk so far this year. The winning distance for the gelded son of 2011 Epsom Derby winner Pour Moi was three-and-a-quarter lengths.
In the race that followed, Joseph secured a second win on the card when Rockfish scored at 12/1 in the LMFM Family Fun Day Sunday May 6th Handicap, a victory that gave jockey Wayne Lordan an eleventh winner this year at Dundalk.
Going into the final race, there had been no winning favourites on the card and it stayed that way as Pretty Little Liar (5/1, Leigh Roche) built on her promising run at Dundalk on March 23rd to land the Wednesday Racing April 18th at Dundalk Handicap for County Meath trainer David Peter Dunne, which is, as indicated, the date of the track’s next meeting.