Another double for Smullen as Queen scores The Pat Fahy trained Ballybacka Queen battled gamely to land the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Median Auction 2yo Maiden, providing her rider Pat Smullen with a double (earlier scored on Hurryupharriet), his second in as many days. The bay daughter of Hurricane Run finished second on her two starts prior to this evening, finishing a neck behind Avenue Gabriel on her debut at the Curragh in June, before finding Tarfasha three and a quarter lengths too good at Galway last week. Sent off the 9/10 favourite to go one place better this evening, she was prominent throughout, and was ridden into a narrow lead a furlong from home. She kept on well under pressure in the final furlong, seeing off the challenge of the tail-swishing Chicago Girl (5/1) by half a length. Adelana finished three and a quarter lengths back in third under Declan McDonogh for Mick Halford at 7/1. Pat Fahy said afterwards: "It is nice to get it out of the way. "I didn’t like running her so soon after Galway but I felt I had to. "Pat said he always felt confident on her and she kept pulling it out. "We will freshen her up now and she might have one more run in a Listed race before we leave her off. "She is a big filly already at 16.1hh." The winner was bought by Fahy for €12,000 at the Goffs Sportsman Yearling Sale last October. Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes
