This gutsy filly carries the colours of Dublin hotelier Noel O’Callaghan’s wife Miriam, colours that are normally seen on National Hunt horses, but she is as brave as any of the jumpers and punters had little hesitation in making her 9-4 favourite. Few of them had any idea of the drama as the stalls opened — all they knew was that she was last away and racing at the back of the field — but she reared up and lost several lengths.
“She has a tendency to do this,” said her rider Kevin Manning. “But she was travelling so well that I thought I might still win if I could just stay in touch and then move her up without asking her to do too much. She has a good turn of foot and she finishes strongly.”
Fortunately for Manning and all those who backed his mount, the pace set by Philip Robinson on New Morning was far from strong but, as he turned for home, Robinson kicked and he promptly had many of those behind in serious trouble. However the favourite steadily made up ground on the wide outside and with a furlong to run Manning knew victory was going to be his. Alexander Goldrun drifted in a little and some of those on her inside, notably the German raider Elopa, were fractionally squeezed.
The stewards wasted little time in calling an inquiry but the head-on film showed that the result was in no danger of being changed and the only surprising thing was that it took the stewards more than 15 minutes to announce “no alteration”.
Manning emerged from the stewards’ room with Elopa’s rider Andrasch Starke, who promptly turned to his rival and shook his hand. The filly’s trainer, Andreas Schutz, was not so easily placated. “My filly clipped the heels of the winner and she has broken down on her off-fore tendon,” he said. “She is going to have to be retired.”
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Elopa finished in third place, a head behind runner-up Red Bloom, with New Morning fourth and Hazarista fifth. Significantly all were four-year-olds and the Classic generation suffered an expensive, and potentially damaging, whitewash. Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Saoire finished with only two behind her in eighth place and, while she met with some interference approaching the furlong marker, rider Fran Berry would offer no excuses. Moyglare winner Chelsea Rose finished one place further back after coming under pressure three furlongs from home.
None of this was of much concern to Jim Bolger, who was happily fielding the media’s questions about his winner and singing the filly’s praises. “She is very, very good and straightforward to train,” he said. “She is hardy, tough, courageous, a good doer at the feed pot and she has never taken a lame step in her life.
“I won this race with Happy Bride, Flame Of Tara and Noora Abu. She is better than Noora Abu and right up there with Flame Of Tara. This was her best performance yet and we will now have a look at the Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket, the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown and the Prix de l’Opera, and hopefully we will then get an invitation to go back for the Hong Kong Cup.”
Alexander Goldrun won the last two races in 2004 but had been beaten on two overseas trips this year, finishing sixth in Dubai and third in Singapore.
The Bolger-Manning combination followed up when Requested Pleasure came with a storming late run to win the 10-furlong handicap.
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Mkuzi became only the second horse to win the Curragh Cup twice — the gallant Vintage Crop was the other — and Fran Berry’s mount was always travelling well. He had little difficulty in sweeping clear a furlong out to beat long-time leader Orpington by a length and a half.
“We will try and win it again next year and see if they will give it to us for keeps,” joked winning trainer John Oxx. “There is a mile and three-quarter race for him at Leopardstown next and he might run in the Irish St Leger but he didn’t get two miles when we sent him to Newmarket for the Jockey Club Cup. He cut out after passing the mile and three-quarter mark.”
Aidan O’Brien has been unleashing a string of good two-year-olds and Aussie Rules went into the 2,000 Guineas betting at 33-1 after making a most convincing debut in the Netjets Maiden. “I was very impressed. He gave me a classic feel,” said Kieren Fallon, who never had to show the winner his stick, and O’Brien immediately nominated the Newmarket July meeting as the colt’s next target.
The Ballydoyle trainer and his stable jockey scored an even more impressive win with Milesius in the Road Bridge Maiden. This full-brother to 2,000 Guineas winner King Of Kings produced a devastating turn of foot to sweep clear in the final furlong. “He has had a few little problems but, like his brother, he has the pace to quicken,” said O’Brien.
Eamon Tyrrell was preparing to get out his emergency repair kit for the second time in a week after the Padraig Beggy-ridden Sling Back finished like a rocket to win the Jordan Estate Agents Handicap. “She has ripped off her off-fore shoe again,” said Tyrrell, who trains only a few furlongs from the course. “We had a few quid on her at Down Royal last weekend but she tore off a shoe and a good part of her hoof went with it. We had to use equilox to patch it up. It’s a paste that hardens when it dries, and now we might have to do it again.”