Trinity College gets Aidan O’Brien’s season up and running
Aidan O’Brien registered the first of what is sure to be many winners this season as Trinity College saw off stablemate Acapulco Bay in the concluding TRM – Supplements You Can Trust Race at Naas.
The Ballydoyle handler was out of luck on the first day of the new campaign at the Curragh last weekend and his first three runners at Naas also failed to hit the target.
However, he appeared to hold all the aces in the last of eight races in County Kildare, with Trinity College the 10-11 favourite and Acapulco Bay next in the betting at 5-2.
Trinity College had shown a high level of form as a two-year-old, with a 12-length maiden victory at Galway joined by two fine efforts in defeat in Group-race company, while Acapulco Bay was second to stablemate Delacroix on his Curragh debut in early August before going one better three weeks later.
The pair drew clear in the latter stages of the one-mile contest, with Trinity College asserting late on to prevail by two lengths.
Of Trinity College, O’Brien said: “We’re delighted with him, he’ll stay further. It was nice to get him started, he had some very good runs last year.
“He’ll have no problem going up to a mile and quarter, I’d imagine. We’ll look at a Derby trial and he could be a French Derby horse.
“The second horse will definitely stay. He’ll definitely get a mile and a quarter and he could even get further. They’ll both obviously come forward from their runs.”
East Hampton rounded off a profitable weekend for trainer David Marnane with a decisive victory in the €45,000 Irish Racing Writers Association Ron McKnight Memorial Madrid Handicap.
Following a Friday night double at Dundalk, the Tipperary handler’s East Hampton was a 7-1 shot for his first start since November.
Having been gelded during the off-season, the three-year-old looked much improved as he pulled a length of the runner-up Wizard Of Odds in the hands of Luke McAteer.
He said: “We’ll see where he lands, he’s a good horse anyway. As long as there is a bit of ease in the ground, we’ll keep going.”
Rowdy Yeats (5-1) looks set to go on to bigger and better things after impressing in the Space Traveller At Compas Stallions Maiden.
Runner-up on each of his two juvenile starts last season for Noel Meade, the Make Believe colt quickened up smartly for Jamie Powell in the last of seven furlongs to beat 13-8 favourite Storm Piece by three and a half lengths, with Mississippi River a close-up third.
“He’s a nice horse. We fancied him when he went to the Curragh last year, we never thought he was bred to be a five-furlong horse, but he was beat by a very good horse (Arizona Blaze) and they were a long way clear of the third,” said Meade.
“I thought I’d give him time to mature, but I found it very hard to get him back and I don’t think I really had him 100 per cent when he came here at the end of the season.
“He has trained very well and I fancied him today. I don’t know where he goes now but there is no reason why he can’t run in good races, I think he’s a good horse.”
Hurricane Ivor was a 20-1 winner of the DAR Golf Handicap, his eighth career victory and third since joining Jessica Harrington two years ago.
Harrington said: “When he’s on-song he’s on-song! He worked really well the other day up Walsh’s Hill (at the Curragh). Scott (McCullagh, jockey) rode him and he tanked up there.
“I had no idea (what to expect), I thought the ground was maybe a bit heavy for him but when he’s in a going mood like that he’s very strong.
“As he’s got older seven furlongs seems to be no problem and he might go a mile. He’s such a cool dude.”
Frankel filly Faiyum (2-1 joint-favourite) made a smart debut for Ger Lyons in the Aesop’s Fables At Compas Stallions Irish EBF Fillies Maiden, stretching almost three lengths clear of her rivals under Colin Keane.
“We knew she was nice, but she’s as green as grass and there should be buckets of improvement in her,” said Lyons.
“We don’t take them away so that’s her first day out of Glenburnie. Her sister handled that ground so we thought it wouldn’t be a problem.
“The Park Express Stakes closed the other day and I put her in it because I said you’d look silly if you didn’t. We like her and it’s no more than you’d expect from a Juddmonte filly.”
