Justifier makes a great weekend better for Lyons team

A weekend that began with Group One success at the Curragh on Friday evening continued in an excellent vein for Ger Lyons as Justifier (15/8 into 6/4) won the Listed Coolmore Caravaggio Stakes at Tipperary.

Winning jockey Colin Keane’s father Gerry had a winner this afternoon at Downpatrick too, with Effernock Lad and here the former champion prevailed by a length and a half on Justifier.

Favourite Harpocrates (5/4) provided the greatest resistance to Justifier (tongue-strap on this time), but the Leopardstown June maiden victor was a good winner at the line.

"Colin said he is still green and handled the ground and will get a furlong extra no problem," said Lyons' brother Shane.

"We do like him, we thought he had to run to 95 today to win and he did. He has done what we've asked him there and will genuinely improve for stepping up and he is ticking all the right boxes at the minute.

"It is five weeks to the Juvenile Stakes on Champions Weekend but we'll run wherever the race presents itself."

On Phoenix Stakes hero Siskin, Lyons reflected: "He's brilliant - he's a pro. While the presentation was made he had pictures taken next to the winners' enclosure and bent down and licked two little girls which I've never seen a horse do. 

"You need all that (temperament) to be the top and he has all that and we got the monkey off our back on Friday with the Group 1 and hopefully he can help us again now."

The Stewards received a request at scales from A.P.O'Brien, trainer of Harpocrates, through his authorised representative T.J. Comerford, to substitute the nominated rider J.A. Heffernan, with D. O'Brien nominated rider of Vitalogy GB), trained by Joseph Patrick O'Brien, as his intended mount was a non runner having been withdrawn before the close of card owing to a change of going.

Having considered the request, the Stewards were satisfied that the request did not conform with the requirements of Regulation 3 and therefore denied the request.

Subsequently, the Stewards received a request from Mr. Comerford, acting on behalf of Mr A.P.O'Brien to address the Stewards requesting them to reconsider their earlier decision and outline reasons for the substitution.

Having considered Mr. Comerford's submissions, the Stewards were still satisfied that the reason for the rider substitution did not conform with the requirements of Regulation 3 and ordered that their original decision stand.

(TW & EM)