Tag Archive for: Goffs Million

Apples And Bananas hits the jackpot in Goffs Million

Apples And Bananas continued a fruitful season to land the lucrative Goffs Million at the Curragh.

Joseph O’Brien’s Wootton Bassett colt was a Listed winner at Deauville last time out and therefore came into the race well fancied at 5-2 under Dylan Browne McMonagle.

Aidan O’Brien’s Antelope Canyon was the 9-4 favourite and it was that horse and Apples And Bananas who traded blows in the closing stages of the race.

Ultimately, the latter came out on top, showing a game attitude to prevail by a head on the line and take home the top prize of €495,000.

“He’s a very tough horse. It was a good aggressive ride from Dylan and he stayed on to the line well,” said O’Brien, who also trained the third, fourth and ninth-placed horses.

“I’m delighted with him, he’s as tough as nails. He’s obviously better at a mile but it’s a great pot to win and fair play to Goffs.

“It’s a fantastic incentive for people to buy horses next week (at the Orby sale) and we’ll hopefully be going back to try and find one for next year.

“He had stakes form, went and led all the way and he’s a good horse.

“He’s a horse that should go 10 furlongs next year, he has a bit of stamina in his pedigree, as it’s an Aga Khan family.

“We’ll have a look at one of those Saint-Cloud races and he’s in the Futurity Trophy as well, which we’ll have a look at too. I’d say he might run in one of those races before we pull up for the year.

“I’m delighted to win a good pot and delighted how our other ones ran as well. It’s great to get the few placings as well, they ran fantastic.

“Mikey (Sheehy) said that he met a lot of traffic (on third-placed Celtic Motif) and I have to watch it again. I knew at halfway he was on the stand rail with a whole pack in front of him, so she did well to be third.”



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One Look’s Goffs Million rout seals a superb Saturday for Twomey

One Look fairly bolted up in the Goffs Million at the Curragh on debut to ensure Paddy Twomey had a day he will never forgot.

Just over an hour after Deepone won the Group Two Beresford Stakes in fine style, One Look landed some hefty bets at 5-1 in the seven-furlong contest, worth €610,000 to the winner.

A filly by Gleneagles, she was smuggled into the race by Billy Lee before sprinting clear.

With just over a furlong to run Aidan O’Brien’s Cherry Blossom and Frankie Dettori had fought their way to the front and it seemed as if the pair were going to enjoy another big race success together.

However as soon as Lee released the handbrake on One Look she put the race to bed in a matter of strides, winning by six lengths.

Jockey Billy Lee (right) and Robert Connolly with One Look after winning the Goffs Million
Jockey Billy Lee (right) and Robert Connolly with One Look after winning the Goffs Million (Damien Eagers/PA)

“She’s a nice filly and she’s been a nice filly all year. I thought I would have run her earlier but it’s just the way it worked out and she was just ready to run this week,” said Twomey.

“I think she’s a nice filly and I gave her an (Irish) Guineas entry on Wednesday.

“I thought she was ready to start and good enough to be competitive. The plan was to track Frankie and see how we got on.”

When asked if the winner could run again this year he added: “I wouldn’t think so. That was a big performance to do that on debut. Maybe she’ll say yes but I doubt it.

“We have nice two-year-olds. I’m delighted as the owners (Connolly Racing Syndicate) sent me two horses this year for the first time and both have won first time out now. Juxtaposition won the first mile maiden at Leopardstown.”

Ger Lyons’ Pipsy (11-4) had beaten all bar the classy King Cuan on her debut and made no mistake in the Bermingham Cameras Photo Finish Irish EBF Maiden under Colin Keane.

Pipsy winning the Bermingham Cameras Photo Finish Irish EBF Maiden
Pipsy winning the Bermingham Cameras Photo Finish Irish EBF Maiden (Damien Eagers/PA)

“It was lovely and it was no more than you’d expect after seeing King Cuan, the first day in Cork and definitely the last day in Naas. He impressed me both times,” said Lyons.

“This filly has always been a filly we like and definitely a maiden winner. I said if she handles the ground she wins and if she doesn’t we’ll go to Dundalk – no problems.

“Colin was adamant she’d handle the ground and that she’ll handle Dundalk so we’ll go for the stakes race up there, the (Group 3) Mercury Stakes, and then we’ll put her away.

“It was her first day away at Cork, Paddy (Twomey’s) are always tuned to the minute and there was no third. I said ‘we’ve walked into one’.

“I felt a bit sorry for her then as she did everything right on her own that day.

“I said we’d see the truth of the race in Naas and I don’t think you could be any more impressed with the winner as he was beat, found a gear and took off again. I though then ‘he’s alright and we definitely walked into one’.

“We knew we had natural improvement and she’d win a good maiden but I was just worried about the ground.”



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