Crystal City (nearest) with Ultramarine© Photo Healy Racing
First-reserve Crystal City landed a sizeable gamble when overturning 1/6 favourite Ultramarine in Dundalk's Crowne Plaza Hotel Median Auction Maiden today, scoring for trainer Michael Halford and jockey Niall McCullagh.
All In The Mind's morning defection handed reserve Crystal City his place and while 20/1 this afternoon, opened 14/1 on the show and was returned the 11/2 second-favourite, in a betting heat in which bookmakers typically avoid laying punter-friendly each-way terms.
Ultramarine was returned the steady 1/6 favourite but the Joseph O'Brien trained, 106-rated colt had no answers once Crystal City, and jockey Niall McCullagh, moved to lead with two furlongs to race. At the line Crystal City beat Ultramarine by a length and a quarter.
Afterwards Crystal City's trainer Halford reported “he's a smashing horse. I liked him a lot before he ran first time out but he got a bit lost around Gowran and just weakened out on me so we took our time with him.
“He's a beautiful moving horse with a great mind and a great attitude. Niall said he'll improve a lot, he had a good blow there and ran around a bit in front.
“He had a wide passage all the way around but there was nothing he could do about that. He's just a nice horse with a future.
“More time wouldn't go astray on him as he'll make a nicer three-year-old, it's just nice to get a two-year-old race with him. His future is all ahead of him.”
Quotes from Gary Carson
