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Sing when you win

sing (6/5 favourite) overcame inexperience to win the Ballylinch Stud Irish EBF Ingabell Stakes, a Listed race for fillies.

With Colin Keane based in the middle of the pack, Ballydoyle’s Easy Mover and Garden Of Eden shared the race, with Chantes moving to their outside with two furlongs to go but then turning around when taking the lead.

Keane maintained his forward momentum and regained his composure again, surging back to victory with ease, giving trainer Jewel Lyons his third race win.

Garden of Eden came in second, three lengths behind, while his more successful stablemate Babbling weaved his way through the pack from the inside, trailing only the two horses behind, to come in a close third.

Lyons believes the Wootton Bassett daughter still has potential, saying: “I was amazed at how she walked around in front and you could see her ears up and she’s got a lot more to offer.”

“I haven’t spoken to Colin yet but we’re looking to retire her and look forward to next year. She’s a lovely filly. I really like her and she’s come through the winter so I’m really looking forward to it. This is the first time she’s been untried in a race but I’d be surprised if we don’t see some big improvements over the winter. She’s a horse to be really excited about.”

Keane added: “She ran through the race well and I thought she would finish it but then she went left and right and then in the straight in the last half-furlong she spotted the photographer and her ears perked up, which is not a bad thing – she’s still got plenty of power in her, so that’s a good sign. She’s a light-built filly and if she can improve and get stronger over the winter she’ll be a very exciting horse.”

Chanteze is quoted at 33/1 by Betfair and Paddy Power to win next year’s 1000 Guineas, but Lyons is not convinced she is the best mare in the stable: “Without Babouche and Red Letter, this horse would have a good chance of winning next spring,” he says.

“It’s hard to get one horse for each race, so having three to compete with over the winter is really exciting.”

When asked where he thinks he’ll rank among the three, he said: “Red Letter could win the first leg. Babouche is great and easy to push, but I’m going to keep pushing Red Letter.”

Impact denies Green Delacroix

Experience is Green Impact (5/2) won over Delacroix over course and distance in July, but Jessica Harrington’s colt once again beat his rival in the KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes.

With just four horses starting in the G2 race, which Aidan O’Brien has won the past two years with Diego Velazquez and Auguste Rodin, Delacroix was sent out as the odds-on favorite and went on to win his third straight race. Stablemate Bernard Shaw took the lead but was outpaced by the eventual winner a furlong out.

Ryan Moore had already brought Delacroix out to try but his horse, restless in his stall during his win at the Curragh, took too long to find his groove and, although he held on towards the end of the race, finished half a length behind.

Winning jockey Shane Foley said: “He was a bit confused at the start but he got into a good position and this horse can hold on well. He’s very calm and I think he can run a mile and a half. His mental strength is probably his best asset.”

Harrington commented: “He’s a pretty good horse, very calm. It was tough going in a straight line with the wind against him. He’s getting better and better and will be a great horse over 1.25, 1.5 miles next year. I want to win the Derby and being a Galileo filly there’s no reason he can’t go 1.5 miles. He’s got to be more solid and do it all so I think he’ll be even better next year.”

Green Impact has been cut from 14-10 for next month’s Futurity Stakes at Doncaster, while Coral is 33-1 for the 2025 2000 Guineas.

Jamie McCalmont, owner Mark Chan’s racing manager, travelled to Ireland rather than Doncaster to watch the owner’s horse Kinross compete in the Park Stakes, and said: “This is the first horse Mark Chan has bred so it’s great for him. He’s in Hong Kong and I’m sure he’ll be delighted with the win.”

“Jessie and Kate thought this was a good horse back in April and said, ‘Let’s run him on Irish Derby weekend’ and they were 100 per cent right. We’ll call it a day and dream about next year. The horse has done everything we wanted him to do this year and that’s enough for him. Kate and Jessie say he just needs time. He’ll be a great horse for us next year, hopefully.”

Diego scores international goal

Diego Velázquez (10/11 favourite) ran bravely in the Tonybet Solonaway Stakes at Irish Champions Weekend to win for the second time in a row.

Last year’s Champions Juvenile winner, who shared the early lead with jockey Ryan Moore, was accompanied only by Flight Plan and encountered few other horses in the one-mile Group 2 race.

Moore gradually picked up the pace and although there were numerous challengers on the track close behind, no one could catch Diego Velazquez, who held a lead of a length and a half at the finish line.

Mutasaref was the closest, followed by Mountain Bear and Poker Face, who finished in a pack, but Marjoum made a big push from the back and attracted attention.

“He’s a lovely, honest, genuine horse,” winning trainer Aidan O’Brien said.

“He has plenty of pace for a mile and probably 1.25 miles too. He’s a very relaxed, simple horse. Christophe (Soumillon) rode him (in the French Guineas) and said afterwards, ‘This horse will win a G1 race soon’. Then he had a bit of a downturn. He ran in the French Derby but was too fast and that was the wrong choice. Then we moved him up to 1.5 miles at Ascot but that was also the wrong choice.

“He’s a speed horse, probably a miler who can run a mile and a quarter.”

Diego Velazquez has been cut from 20-1 to six-1 by Paddy Power and Betfair for the QIPCO British Champions Day Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, but O’Brien suggested he could be heading out on a globe-trotting trip in the near future.

“He could go in the Breeders’ Cup Mile or the Cox Plate,” O’Brien added. “Adelaide came third in a trial in France this weekend (10 years ago) and won the Cox Plate.”

O’Brien hit a double on the day. Fighter (9/1) and Wayne Hassett led Chemistry (3/1 favourite) and Moore in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Petingo Handicap to secure a one-two finish for the stable.

The two horses were first and second throughout the race, but in the top straight Fighter made a brilliant move and Frankel’s colt quickly took a six-length lead and only had to stay in shape to win by four lengths.

McManus follows his instincts

At the Racing Festival, owner JP McManus’ famous gold and green rings were not carried to victory, Trust your instincts (3/1 favourite) won the Group 3 Tonybet “We’re Here To Play” Stakes.

Having finished second to St Leger Stakes winners Continuous and Jan Bruegel in his previous two starts, Trust Your Instinct was not up against horses of that calibre this time.

Dylan Brown McMonagle established himself as the favourite by taking second place behind the fast Kinesiology, but was overtaken at the furlong pole by Trust Your Instinct, who won by a comfortable three-quarters of a length.

Kinesiology held off a challenge from Thunder Roll to retain second place, while Sumiha came in fourth.

The winning jockey said: “He’s a very solid horse. He hit the crossbar and some top class horses but he was very honest and deserved to win.”

“This horse likes a fast track. This is his first time at this distance but he’s got a really good rhythm. He was able to get into a good position without putting in too much effort. He was able to give it his all when he needed to, but he ran a good mile and a half. I hope he continues to develop.”

Trainer Joseph O’Brien said there were no immediate targets for Trust Your Instinct, saying: “We will see how well he can perform both domestically, in the UK and internationally. A Group win is well deserved and we will enjoy today’s win before looking further afield.”

Irish Stallion Farm EBF Sovereign Pass Handicap Dance Night Andee (12/1) Ross O’Sullivan and Ronan Whelan scored after beating Gleneagle Bay by one head.

Vera’s Secret Trained by John Feen (10/1), under jockey Nathan Cross, she won the HKJC World Pool Autumn Fillies & Mares Handicap in a comfortable victory over her rivals, taking a large lead in the straight and never being in danger.

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