One Smack Mac © Photo Healy Racing
Ger Lyons came away with a winner on a Ballydoyle-dominated all two-year-old card at Leopardstown yesterday when Yamal took the concluding nursery but the Glenburnie handler was disappointed with the performance of One Smack Mac in the Group 3 Killavullan Stakes.
A maiden winner at Naas in May and runner-up in the Listed Blenheim Stakes at Fairyhouse on his second start last month, the Kodiac colt weakened tamely in the straight to finish in rear as Aidan O'Brien's Exactly made all to win easily under Wayne Lordan.
“I was very worried about the (soft) ground because he's not that type of ground horse," Lyons reflected.
“We had a bad hold-up with him earlier in the year and he went from the horse you saw at Naas to the massive horse you see now, he did a lot of growing.
“I was in a mad rush to get to the Blenheim.
“This was the only other option but I said to myself I'd be worried about the ground at that time of year if it's the only option.
“I stuck to the plan anyway and you'd have to say that was too bad to be true. We'll see what comes out in the wash but I was disappointed with that.”
Additional reporting by Gary Carson
