NATIVE IMPRESSES
NATIVE TRAIL floored hotpot Point Lonsdale in the Group One Vincent O’Brien National Stakes at the Curragh – and is the new 5-1 favourite for next year’s 2,000 Guineas.
Point Lonsdale went off the 8-13 favourite to make it five wins from five starts as he stepped up to the highest level – but the Charlie Appleby-trained Native Trail and William Buick galloped to a three-and-half-length supremacy.
The winner had landed Newmarket’s Group Two Superlative Stakes on his previous outing, and Appleby said: “I knew with two furlongs to go, the one thing this horse was going to do was gallop out strong.
“I’d say we’ll go straight to the Dewhurst [at Newmarket on October 9].”
Romantic Proposal sprang a 16-1 surprise in the Group One Flying Five Stakes, while Discoveries captured the Moyglare Stud Stakes to give Jessica Harrington, successful with No Speak Alexander in Saturday’s Matron Stakes at
Leopardstown, a second top-level victory on Irish Champions weekend.
Johnny Murtagh’s Sonnyboyliston built on his Ebor Handicap triumph to land the Irish St Leger and is now 14-1 for the Melbourne Cup.