The O’Brien family was the toast of the Curragh on Sunday as father and son captured the Pattern races at the County Kildare track.
Joseph O’Brien struck first in the Group 3 Weld Park Stakes (7f) as New York Girl, a daughter of New Approach, came home best of all on the heavy ground to get up on the line under Shane Crosse.
Father Aidan later extended his outstanding record in the Group 2 Beresford Stakes as Innisfree, a son of Galileo, outpointed Shekhem under Donnacha O’Brien, scoring by a neck.
The victory meant that the trainer has now saddled the winner of the mile juvenile contest on 19 occasions, including the past nine renewals. Juddmonte International hero Japan, set to represent Ballydoyle in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on Sunday, took the prize 12 months ago.
German trip pays off
Hughie Morrison sent two fillies to Dusseldorf on Sunday and returned with a winner after two-year-old Romsey landed a Listed contest over an extended seven furlongs.
Romsey, a daughter of Mukhadram owned by The End-R-Ways Partnership & Partners, has now achieved valuable black type to enhance her value after some good efforts in Group company; not bad for a horse that was bought back for just 800 guineas at Book 3 of the 2018 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.
French fancies
Charlie Appleby has enjoyed an excellent campaign in France and the Newmarket handler sends two more runners across the Channel to Chantilly on Monday.
Two-year-old Al Dabaran, a dual winner this year, runs in the Group 3 Prix de Conde (1m1f) along with the William Haggas-trained Tammani, successful at Sandown in July and last seen finishing third in a Listed event at Haydock.
Appleby also runs juvenile filly Divine Sprit in the Listed Criterium de Vitesse. Band Practice, representing the Archie Watson stable, and the Joseph O’Brien-trained Lady Penelope also take their chance in the five-furlong event.
Palace Pier on the sidelines
Exciting two-year-old Palace Pier, winner of both his starts this year, has sustained a leg injury and will miss the remainder of the season.
The son of Kingman, trained by John Gosden, was bred by the late Duke of Roxburghe’s Floors Farming and Highclere Stud, selling for 600,000 guineas at last year’s Book 1 sale to Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum.
Palace Pier will be given time to recover fully and could return in the Greenham Stakes in the spring.
Today’s racing
Hamilton and Bath stage the domestic turf action today with both meetings set to be run on testing ground.
Race two at Bath is the Matchbook EBF Future Stayers’ Novice Stakes, restricted to two-year-olds whose sire or dam won over ten furlongs or further.
The field of 13 features the Richard Hughes-trained So I Told You, bred and owned by Flaxman Stables. The daughter of Gleneagles is related to a dual winner over a mile and is from the family of German Derby victor Nutan.
Evening all-weather racing is taking place at Wolverhampton.
In Ireland, Roscommon’s jumps card features the Grade 3 Ballymore Irish EBF Novice Chase in which the Henry de Bromhead-trained Due Reward bids to follow up his decisive win at Killarney in August.
