MESSALINA COMPLETES A JESS DOUBLE

VALERIA MESSALINA bagged the Group 3 Brownstown Stakes in Cork yesterday, completing a big-race double for the red-hot combination of Jessica Harrington and Shane Foley, inset.

The 11/2 shot, unplaced in the Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas last time, got the better of Unforgetable and joint-favourite Soul Search in the seven-furlong fillies event.

Earlier, Dickiedooda bounced back from a disappointing run at Royal Ascot to initiate the Commonstown double in the listed Coolmore Caravaggio Tipperary 2-Y-0 Stakes, scoring emphatically from favourite Grammata.

Also on the Cork card, the Tom Hogan-trained 50/1 Nebo, enterprisingly ridden by Wayne Lordan, proved a shock winner of the Habitat (Premier) Handicap, holding off Ice Cold In Alex, Taura Shaman and Bucky Larson.

Meanwhile, Aidan O’brien won the Group 3 Woodford Reserve Ballysax Stakes in Dundalk, not with odds-on favourite Monarch Of Egypt, but with front-runner Nobel Prize, which prevailed by just a nose over Indicative Vote.

Backed from 6/1 to 4/1 Nobel Prize provided apprentice Killian Hennessy with his first winner since 2018 and the 28th of his career.

Joseph O’brien completed an across-thecard treble scoring with Edessann (Shane Crosse) and Fame And

Acclaim (Declan Mcdonogh) in Cork, in addition to Lord Mczie, a first winner in Ireland for jockey Eddie Greatrex, in Dundalk.

And trainer Kevin Prendergast enjoyed a welcome boost, when not only registering his first winner of 2020, Mahaaseel, which foiled Ballydoyle colt Hyde Park Barracks in the fivefurlong two-year-old maiden in Dundalk, but completing a double when Miss Cunning pipped Dark Magic in a division of the sevenfurlong 45-65 handicap. Both winners ridden by Gary Halpin.

And Johnny Murtagh continued his tremendous season when Bestrella (Ben Coen) turned over odds-on favourite Dark Pine (Oisin Orr) in the Irish Stallion Farms Median Auction maiden.

BOUNCED BACK Dickiedooda won in Cork yesterday