Newmarket double
O’Brien misses out on the big pots
THE BIG focus on the flat last week was at Newmarket on Friday and Saturday, with quite a few big money races up for grabs.
Aidan O’Brien as usual carried the flag for Ireland and did have some success without dominating as in previous years.
A notable absentee was Ryan Moore who spent the best part of the week going to Australia for their richest race on Friday, the €8 million Everest Stakes, even more valuable than the more famous Melbourne Cup.
He was on O’Brien’s US Navy Flag, but they missed the break and finished a tired ninth out of twelve.
On the Friday card, Donnacha O’Brien won the Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes for his dad, Aidan, on the favourite, Sergei Prokofiev.
In the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile, Aidan’s other son, Joseph, scored a surprise success with Iridessa (14/1), under Wayne Lordan, beating his dad and brother’s Hermosa (5/2f) by a length and a half.
Aidan began well on Saturday’s card with Norway (7/2) toughing it out under Seamie Heffernan in the listed Zetland Stakes.
He had three of eight runners in the Group 3 Autumn Stakes but could not repel French favourite, Persian King (6/5), and filled the next three places with Magna Grecia, Circus Maximus and Western Australia.
The half a million pound Group 1 Darley Dewhurst Stakes is considered the top two-year-old race of the year in Britain and a reliable trial for next year’s classics.
O’Brien has an enviable record in it but had to give best to John Gosden’s Too Darn Hot (1/1), installed after as 6/4 favourite for next year’s Guineas. Anthony Van Dyck (11/4) was third for Ballydoyle and could have a say next year.
O’Brien did not ignore the home scene, picking up the €45,000 Listed feature, the Martin Molony Stakes, at Limerick on Saturday with a fast-finishing Sir Erec (9/2) under Michael Hussey.
Earlier in the week, Aidan had a Seamie Heffernan double at Cork with Credenza (7/2) by a short head and Coral Beach (5/2f) in a two-year-old maiden.
At a strong Navan meeting on Sunday, O’Brien had a Listed race double with All The King’s Men (8/1) in the €55k Legacy Stakes and Peach Tree (5/2) in the €50k Staffordstown Stud event, and was short-headed into second with Lost Treasure (2/1) in the third listed event, the Waterford Testimonial.
Jim Bolger has been having a lean time of it and had just his second winner from 34 runners in the past three weeks with Vocal Music (14/1) in an apprentice handicap at Navan.
Over the jumps, at Fairyhouse on Saturday, Jamie Codd scored the only Wexford success on an outsider in the bumper, Gemma’s Flame (11/1) for Hugh Finnegan from Meath, beating the Mullins favourite, Westport Lady (11/10). He and Barry O’Neill and Harley Dunne had driven down from a point-to-point at Craigavon, Co. Armagh, for this race.
Jonathan Moore had a couple of fancied rides for Noel Meade on Friday and he romped in on He’s No Molly (2/1) but had to take second on 6/4 favourite, Free Ranger.
Seán Flanagan was back in action for the first time since a mid-August injury at Limerick on Sunday with a single ride for Noel Meade and got around safely. Welcome back to him, and also to Ruby Walsh who returned after losing ten months from the last twelve with serious injuries.
In Britain, Tom O’Brien had his best week for a long time with four successive winners. He had a treble for Philip Hobbs at Worcester on Thursday with Thyme Hill (9/4), Awake at Midnight (10/11), and Bradford Bridge (15/8f), and he followed up at Newton Abbot on Friday with an easy win on Miss Mash (5/1) for Henry Daly.
Daryl Jacob has been having a quiet time of it but is starting to get a bit busier as the season takes off.
He scored on Ballymoy (6/4) for Nigel Twiston-Davies in a €20,000 handicap at Chepstow, his only ride of the day.