Harpocrates and Shane Foley (right) get the better of San Andreas© Photo Healy Racing
Harpocrates (15/2) took the Follow Us On Twitter @DundalkStadium Race to complete doubles for Jessica Harrington and Shane Foley after they teamed up with claimer winner Oh Say earlier in the evening.
Tracking the pace-setting 8/11 favourite San Andreas from the outset, Foley got serious with his mount a furlong and a half out as the market leader tried to assert.
The blinkered son of Invincible Spirit responded well to wear down the leader inside the final furlong and was a length and a half in front at the line.
Harpocrates was with Aidan O’Brien as a 2-year-old, winning at Naas and finishing runner-up in the Group 3 Acomb Stakes at York. He was having his fourth start for his new trainer and had run well in a similar event when second to Saltonstall at this venue in November.
"He did that well. It couldn't have worked out much better and was like a bit of work really,” said Foley.
“We didn't go that fast and I thought Alan (Persse) had gotten away at the bottom of the straight. When I got stuck into my lad he picked up.
“He's a horse with a lot of ability but he's just a bit quirky. He obviously likes being fresh because we didn't think we had him ready, maybe that's the key to him.
“If he hadn't run disappointingly last time you'd have been fancying him tonight but he's just a bit in and out.”
Quotes from Gary Carson
