Curragh review and replays: O'Brien and Moore among the winners

From small acorns....

Giant Sequoia (4/9 favourite) led home a 1-2-3 for Aidan O'Brien in the Barronstown Stud Irish EBF (C & G) Maiden over seven furlongs.

It was all very straightforward for the Frankel colt who had been sent off at the same price for his debut only to finish third behind stablemate and Chesham Stakes favourite Aix La Chappelle [withdrawn at the start after rearing in the stalls].

The winning distances were two and a quarter lengths and three and three quarter lengths as Giant Sequoia followed in the steps of stablemates Dorset, City Of Troy and Hudson River in winning this contest.

O'Brien said: “He had a lovely run here the first day and he came on lovely.

"He’ll only get better. He is a big, powerful horse.”

Sun too hot for Airlie rivals

Sun Goddess (2/7 favourite) made fairly heavy weather of completing a double for trainer and jockey in the Airlie Stud Stakes for all she was making a quick return after a big run at Royal Ascot.

Settled in third by Moore as Beibhinn and Belle Of The Ball gave her a lead, Sun Goddess had to work quite hard to pass Beibhinn who gradually weakened.

Green Empress, having her second start, then picked up well racing towards the stands' side but never looked like reeling Sun Goddess in for all she did give the winner a fright with just three parts of a length between them at the line.

Moore and O'Brien were combining to win the Group 2 for the fifth year in succession.

The winning handler said: “We’ll give her a bit of time now.

“I think the Moyglare would be suitable. I think she’s going to stay and will be comfortable enough going up to seven.

“She seemed to be well after Ascot. The race was there this weekend and it’s beautiful ground.”

Star gives Confucius plenty to ponder

It had been four years since O'Brien's last winner of the Jebel Ali Racecourse And Stables Anglesey Stakes and the wait goes on as Confucius (1/3 favourite) returned a beaten favourite for the second race in succession after being turned over in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Dropped to Group 3 level and facing only four rivals, Confucius jumped well under Moore and enjoyed an easy enough lead with Ballinea Star (16/1) racing on his quarters.

The field were closely grouped with a furlong and a half to go with Moore and Donagh O'Connor, aboard the eventual winner, then asking their mounts to go and win the race.

Immortal Guard, a stablemate of the winner, joined issue to make a line of three in a hard fought finish with Ballinea Star edging out Immortal Guard and Confucius by half-a-length and a head to complete a famous day in the training career of Robson Aguiar.

It was a second Group 3 for O'Connor - and a first for Aguiar - who told Racing TV: "Delighted, this weekend especially is very big in our calendar and she was very tough.

"She's a filly we always thought would get further and this is our minimum. She only broke her maiden the last day at Cork [third start] but it was the same thing, the horse beside her came to challenge and looked all over the winner but she battled back and went through the line well. So, I wasn't afraid to commit her early knowing that she was going to get to the line.

"She was switched off there - a little bit in my hands - but I can definitely see her getting seven and hopefully, when she's strengthened up over the winter, you can see her stretching out to a mile.

"Them winners races for lads that haven't ridden 15 winners, that's where it started for me. I'm in there [De Aguiar's yard] three days a week now and we're having a great start to the season. Robson buys a nice type of horse and he trains them well so I'm delighted to be getting a leg over them and long may it continue."

'She might improve even more'

Meriden (7/2 joint-favourite) made it four in a row in the Neville Homes Summer Fillies, a premier handicap over seven furlongs.

Chris Hayes settled his filly in the first half of midfield before edging over towards the stands' side as the race developed.

A handful of horses appeared viable winners but Meriden fairly powered away inside the final furlong to win by three lengths and a neck from Mallavelly and Aviatrice.

Supporters of Greydreambeliever knew their fate early as she went down on her nose leaving the stalls, putting her on the back foot from the off.

Meriden, trained by Denis Hogan, began her winning spree at Down Royal in May on her second handicap start, scoring off 57. She won at the Curragh five days later before proving equally effective at Leopardstown on soft ground. This success came from a mark of 86 and Meriden will, no doubt, receive another hefty hike from the handicapper.

"She's improving," said Hayes.

"I rode her first time out and came in and, stupidly looking back at it, said 'she'll win a maiden' and then it took her four or five starts; she still hasn't really copped on because she does everything right until you go for her and her immediate thing is to go left. So, rather than fight her or argue with her I let her go left once I was clear, I had my stick in my left hand, she was pricking her ears and she hit the line well. She'd get a little bit further if she needed to.

"I got into the position I wanted, I didn't think we were going over-quick, thought we were going to go to the middle. She could feel Billy [Lee] was just coming over and that's her go to thing, to go left and as soon as she got daylight she was heading right over to the stands' side. She's improving and if she got that little chink out of her armour, she might improve even more.

"Denis is doing a super job and the lads are getting a great kick out of it. I'm used to getting in trouble for winning too far but the first thing they said was 'can we go for black type with her?'. She'll have to go for it now and I can't see why not; she's a great constitution, she could travel. The lads are having a great time and hopefully they'll bring me with them."

'We really fancied him'

Fixation (2/1 favourite) easily justified his market position in the Reserve Ladies Derby.

Georgie Benson, who won this prize in 2021, was always well placed in the first half of the main pack and Fixation quickened up really welk to pick up one of the pacesetters in Touch The Moon.

Benson switched Fixation towards the centre of the track, challenging on the outside of the well backed Diamond Exchange who couldn't go with her and rival and eventually weakened out of the places.

Fixation, trained by Johnny Murtagh, won by four lengths in first time cheekpieces whereas just half-a-length separated the placed horses, Genoah and Cooley's Mist.

Benson said: "He's been very good to me the last few years, I've learned loads and I can't thank him [Murtagh] enough.

"I knew there was a lot of pace on and the two front runners really took each other on and I decided to sit back against them. Every time I gave him a squeeze he would come and come; I got a tight gap at the two furlong but it actually revved him up and once I pressed go, he had a real turn of foot.

"He pricked his ears after the line at the camera so he still had plenty left.

"I rode him in a bit of work and he was flying at home and the race worked out perfectly for him. We really fancied him here today."

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