Australian-bred Irish Guineas entrant wins at Dundalk Irish 2,000 Guineas entry Choice Of Mine got off the mark against more experienced rivals at Dundalk today as the Joseph O'Brien trained landed the Christmas Party Nights At Dundalk Race under jockey Shane Crosse. The Australian-bred son of Redoute's Choice is not EBF-qualified and is therefore ineligible for most Irish maidens and debuted in a winners' race at Chelmsford on November 7, when finishing fourth. Today Choice Of Mine again competed against two previous winners, including 91 rated stablemate Dark Vader, and was a little slow to leave the stalls. However he gradually worked his way into contention before finishing strongly to edge ahead in the closing stages for a length and a quarter win over Karbasann. Previous winners Ocean Monarch and Dark Vader filled third and fourth places respectively. Trainer O'Brien wasn't present and afterwards jockey Crosse reported “he’s not qualified for maidens over here and had to take on experienced rivals (at Chelmsford) in England and again today. For the first half-mile I was struggling to get him to travel but as the tempo increased he warmed into it. “He ran straight through the line and I think when he steps up in trip and gets to the grass he’ll be something to look forward to.” Quotes from Alan Magee
