Having upstaged “TDN Rising Star” John F Kennedy (Galileo) with a dominant
all-the-way success in the April 12 Ballysax S. (Ire-G3), Success Days (Jeremy)
upheld that form by bringing up a trial double with a more restrained but
equally impressive performance over the same Leopardstown course and 10-furlong
distance in Sunday’s Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial (Ire-G3).
With his form boosted by the subsequent win of the Ballysax runner-up
Zafilani (Azamour), the gray — who is on course for the June 27 Irish Derby
(Ire-G1) at The Curragh — faced a much easier task than looked likely earlier
in the week with Ballydoyle’s Order of St George (Galileo) another late
absentee.
Held on to this time by Shane Foley, he gradually extended his early short
lead on sheer ability and already had the race in safe keeping on the home bend.
Inclined to gawk and play around in the clear as he had in the Ballysax, he was
shaken up to keep enough concentration to stamp his authority on what must be
the worst edition of this otherwise important classic prep for a long time.
“He handles that ground so well and as long as the rain keeps coming we’ll be
happy,” his rider commented. “Again, he wasn’t doing a stroke in front up the
straight and I haven’t had to get stuck into him. He was entitled to win on
form, but he’s been very impressive again and you never feel like you are going
fast enough on him. He had a bit left in the tank and without doubt a mile and a
half will be no problem to him, but the important thing is the ground.”
Foley added, “He eats and sleeps and does just what he has to do in his work,
but he does it at the racecourse and I’m looking forward to him being in against
a better type of horse now. If he gets a lead, I think you’ll see a different
horse again.”
In the Derrinstown Stud One Thousand Guineas Trial (Ire-G3), Kissed by Angels
(Galileo) — who like Wednesday’s Cheshire Oaks winner Diamondsandrubies (Fastnet
Rock) is out of a former Group 1-winning luminary trained at Ballydoyle —
showed enough here to suggest that she can go some way to matching the
achievements of her accomplished dam, Lillie Langtry (Danehill Dancer).
The bay was unlucky enough to come up against Back On Top (Lope de Vega), who
had mixed it with the country’s leading fillies Found (Galileo), Together
Forever (Galileo) and Bocca Baciata (Big Bad Bob) last term, on debut in an
extended mile maiden at Limerick on debut April 25. An encouraging second to
that JP McManus colorbearer, the Aidan O’Brien pupil showed how much she had
gleaned from that experience with a performance here that belied her rawness.
Settled behind the leaders early trapped wide, Kissed by Angels loomed with
obvious intent on the outer with three furlongs remaining and was let go in the
lead by Seamie Heffernan approaching the quarter pole. Quickly clear, she was in
no danger thereafter despite the valiant efforts of the April 12 Leopardstown
One Thousand Guineas Trial protagonists Devonshire (Fast Company) and Stormfly
(Dark Angel) with the rest strung out behind as a marker of the winner’s merit.
“She’s made good progress and improved a lot from her first run,” Heffernan
told Irish-racing.com. “I was a bit disappointed with her at Limerick, but the
last day she didn’t know what to do. Hopefully she’ll keep making progress from
each run.”
Rounding out the group action, Onenightidreamed (Footstepsinthesand) pipped
Sruthan (Arakan) and Fire Ship (Firebreak) in the Amethyst (Ire-G3).
Off the track after finishing third in the Habitat Premier H. over a mile at
the Curragh last May, Onenightidreamed returned to that venue to belie a lay-off
to win the March 29 Irish Lincolnshire over the same trip. Tracking the early
leaders, the Tommy Stack charge was delivered wide to deny Sruthan in the dying
strides and prevail in the bobber.
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