Thy Kingdom come as O’Brien claims another Oaks

Tipperary Racing Scene

Aidan O'Brien and his sons Donnacha and Joseph were all winners on the opening evening of the five-day Killarney festival.

The champion trainer was first of the mark when landing the opening eight-furlong maiden with the 2/5 favourite Benvenuto Cellini. He made all the running under Wayne Lordan to beat his own stable companion Endorsement by two and three-parts of a length.

Donnacha O'Brien and Gavin Ryan combined to win the 11-furlong fillies’ maiden with 5/1 chance Drama Queen. She battled well inside the final furlong to pip John Murphy’s favourite Plaza Athenee by a head.

Joseph O'Brien though trumped them both with three Dylan Browne McMonagle-ridden winners. The Kevin Coleman-trained Vlhova was another all-the-way winner in the eight-furlong handicap for three-year-olds. Owned by Atomic Racing and ridden by Rory Cleary, the 14/1 chance raced clear before the straight and had a length and three-parts to spare over Jessica Harrington’s favourite Vega’s Muse at the line.

The four-year-old Shania gave Donnacha O'Brien and Gavin Ryan their second Killarney success in two days when narrowly taking the eight-furlong fillies’ maiden, a race she finished runner-up in a year ago. On her first outing since then, she was sent off a strong 8/15 favourite and readily held the late flourish of John McConnell’s Spanish Princess to win by a neck.

Paddy Twomey gave Colin Keane the second of his two winners on the evening as the 7/4 favourite Elana Osario landed the 11-furlong fillies’ handicap. She battled well inside the final furlong to beat the Joseph O'Brien-trained Annie’s Angel by a head.

A runner-up earlier in the evening with both Harry The Rogue and Dark Note, trainer Andy Slattery went a place better to win the concluding amateur riders’ maiden with the mare Royal Hollow. Owned and bred by Margaret O’Rourke, the Adam Ryan-ridden seven-year-old headed Aidan O'Brien’s front-running Mont St Michel, ridden by Paddy Smullen, two furlongs out and there were two and a half lengths between the 7/4 joint-favourites at the line.

Donnacha O'Brien and Gavin Ryan landed a third Killarney success when the 100/30 chance A Boy Named Susie made a winning debut in the eight-furlong median sires series race on Wednesday. Owned by the trainer’s sister Ana, the two-year-old came through to lead over a furlong out and skipped clear to win by three lengths from Johnny Murtagh’s Bellamano.

11/2 chance Tassarolo took the 11-furlong handicap for Denis Hogan and Joey Sheridan. Owned by the Full Of Hope Syndicate, the four-year-old led passing the two-furlong pole and he held the challenge of David Marnane’s favourite Slieve Bernagh by a neck.

Jake Coen landed a 14/1 success as the William O’Doherty-trained Swelltime won the two and a half-mile opportunity handicap hurdle at Killarney on Thursday. Ridden by Jake Coen, the nine-year-old made it six wins in all when leading before halfway to beat the Harry Kelly-trained Corkbeg by four and a half lengths.

A runner-up with both Gaelic Arc and Zolpharine earlier on the card, John Ryan landed a deserved success as the eight-year-old Smallcraftwarning won the second division of the near three-mile handicap chase at Killarney on Friday. Owned by the We Win Farming Syndicate, the 100/30 favourite led before the final fence under Daniel King and ran out a four-length winner from the Tom Cooper-trained Jeu De Pic.

Trainer John Murphy rounded off a fine week at the Kerry track when winning the concluding bumper with the 7/2 shot Lemon Zest. He bagged his third winner of the festival as the four-year-old, ridden by Harry Swan, headed the John and Thomas Kiely-trained Fraher Field inside the final furlong to win by a length and a half with the same distance back to Andy Slattery’s 11/8 favourite Beir Bua.

Sam Coen kept the family’s name in lights when winning on Ado McGuinness’ Doctor Grace in the 13-furlong apprentice handicap at Down Royal on Friday. In the colours of the Dundalk Racing Club, the 9/1 chance got to the front close to the finish to beat Ross O'Sullivan’s front-running Beautiful Chaos by a head.

Minnie Hauk, a 2/11 favourite, duly added to her win in the Epsom Oaks when scoring a battling success under Ryan Moore in the Group 1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks at the Curragh on Saturday.

She emulated Alexandrova and Snowfall to become the third Aidan O'Brien-trained filly to win both Classic races when getting the better of the Joseph O'Brien-trained Wemightakedlongway by a length and a quarter. The champion trainer took third, fourth and fifth place in the race with Island Hopping, Butterfly Wings and Merrily respectively.

Team Ballydoyle had earlier landed a 1-2-3 in the seven-furlong maiden for two-year-olds with the Moore-ridden 10/11 favourite New Zealand just hold off Isaac Newton by a nose with Action half a length away in third place.

1/2 favourite True Love became the first filly in 31 years to win the Group 2 Gain Railway Stakes. Another success for O’Brien and Moore, she impressed in beating her own stable companion Puerto Rico by five lengths.

3/1 chance Shelbiana won the seven-furlong fillies and mares’ maiden for Ben Coen and Johnny Murtagh to round off proceedings. She came with her challenge inside the final furlong and led close to the finish to beat the Andy Slattery-trained Therewillbeglory by a head.

Aidan O'Brien reeled off another Ryan Moore-ridden treble at the Curragh on Sunday where the success of the four-year-old Diego Velazquez in the Group 2 Romanised Minstrel Stakes was the highlight. A strong 11/8 favourite, he won his fifth race in all and his third at Group 2 level when holding off the late challenge of the David Marnane-trained East Hampton by a neck.

The day opened with O’Brien and Moore winning the seven-furlong fillies’ maiden with the 9/2 chance Sugar Island. She led a furlong out to win by half a length from Fozzy Stack’s Saint Agatha.

The three-year-old Light As Air completed the trebles in the 12-furlong maiden. A 1/2 chance, he too scored by half a length when repelling the challenge of Jessica Harrington’s Winston Junior.

Paddy Twomey and Wayne Lordan won the Group 3 Al Shira’aa Racing Meadow Court Stakes with the Connolly Racing Syndicate-owned 100/30 shot One Look. Racing up with the pace, she led inside the final furlong to beat Dermot Weld’s Azada by a length with Mark Prescott’s favourite Tasmania, a little unlucky in running, three-parts of a length away in third place.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

Leopardstown – Thursday, July 24 (First race 5.20pm)

Wexford – Thursday, July 24 (First race 5.35pm)

Kilbeggan – Friday, July 25 (First race 4.50pm)

Cork – Friday, July 25 (First race 5.05pm)

Gowran Park – Saturday, July 26 (First race 2.15pm)