Jim Bolger was celebrating Group 3 success at the Curragh after 18/1 shot Sea Of Rain toughed it out in the Newtownanner Stud Irish European Breeders Fund Stakes.
Ridden by Colin Keane, the daughter of Naval Crown was always to the fore and kept up the gallop in the one-mile event to repel Ballyskeagh (14/1) by three-quarters of a length, with Damsel In Distress (17/2) back in third.
Bolger said on Racing TV: “She’s been crying out for a mile all along, and a strong gallop. She’s a mile and a half filly for next year. She’ll be my next Oaks filly.
“I thought it (the rain) would bring stamina into it and it might knock out a few of the others. But the way it was we didn’t need anything knocked out.
“He (Keane) loved her. She was always travelling."
Bolger said a trip to Doncaster could be in store next for Sea Of Rain and also stated that next weekend’s Prix Vermeille is the intended target for his three-year-old star, Sparan Nua who was a short-head second to Kalpana in the Yorkshire Oaks at the recent Ebor Festival.
“It was good but I thought we left it (the York Group 1) behind. He (Rossa Ryan) will ride her again.”
Push The Boat Out (17/2) maintained his unbeaten record under Keane in the Group 3 Heider Family Stables Round Tower Stakes.
Trained by Michael O’Callaghan, the Kodi Bear colt showed a fine attitude to get the better of penalised Coventry Stakes winner Great Barrier Reef (4/5 favourite), with Velozee back in third.
In the other Group 3 on the card, John & Thady Gosden’s Miss Scott made the journey a worthwhile one by beating fellow 3/1 joint-favourite Faiyum by three and three-quarter lengths in the Snow Fairy Fillies Stakes.
The opening John Ormonde Wexford Sand Irish European Breeders Fund (C & G) Maiden went to Aidan O’Brien’s odds-on favourite Darkness Falls who was prominent throughout and responded impressively when asked for his effort by Ryan Moore.
The son of Camelot, sent off at 4/6 on the back of a promising debut third at Leopardstown a month earlier, strode out to beat stablemate Albany County (7/2) by seven lengths, with 17/2 chance Cluster back in third for Joseph O’Brien and Juddmonte.
Loughrea completed a hat-trick for Andrew Slattery with a runaway win in the Tote Irish Cambridgeshire, the 9/2 chance taking it up over a furlong from home apparently full of running and going on to score in ready fashion from Manton Bay (8/1) and the 4/1 favourite Pierre Royal, with Booyea back in fourth at 11/1.
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