Afonso wins easily, 'has more in the locker'

Aidan O'Brien's Afonso De Sousa easily justified 4/5 favouritism to win the concluding Dundalk Stadium – Light Up Your Night Race at Dundalk today, avoiding some trouble in-running to win under the trainer's son Joseph O'Brien.

The son of Henrythenavigator won the same race 12 months ago and while he won today's renewal by all of three and a half lengths, he did have to overcome some traffic problems early in the home straight. However once O'Brien junior switched the strapping colt to the outer over a furlong out, he quickened instantly to easily beat Hold The Line

The win was Aidan O'Brien's second of the evening, having earlier won with Waver under his youngest son Donnacha O'Brien and while the trainer was absent, Joseph later stated “he (Afonso De Sousa) was not quite as ready as he was for this race last year, and that's why I rode him more patiently.

“He loves artificial surfaces, and is a classy horse and he's not shown on the track yet what I think he has in the locker."

Quotes from Alan Magee