Imaging© Photo Healy Racing
Jockey Oisin Orr bagged his first Listed winner on Imaging at Leopardstown on April 3 and today gained a first Group win on the Dermot Weld trained colt who landed the Group 3 Gladness Stakes at Naas in the colours of Khalid Abdullah.
Last year's Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Romanised and 2017 Jersey Stakes winner Le Brivido who was debuting for his new trainer Aidan O'Brien, made their respective seasonal reappearances in the race and while both stayed on nicely late-on, Imaging showed the benefit of having had match practise when getting the better of No Needs Never by half a length.
Le Brivido stayed on to finish a promising third while Romanised met traffic trouble and filled a similarly promising fifth place.
Winning trainer Weld has made a fine start to the new season and later stated “that was a good performance in a very good Group 3. I thought he did it very well — settled nicely and quickened up well.
“He’s a Group winner over seven and he’d probably be even better going a mile. Hopefully he’ll have a long season ahead of him. He’s after winning his Group race already so I’m not in a rush with his next start.
“He’s a horse that will travel to England or France, and obviously Group 2 and Group 1 is where we have to go next.
“That was lovely ground there today, and as long as the ground is not firm he’s perfect. He’s matured a lot from three to four, and he’ll handle faster ground better than he would have last year. He’s a solid colt.”
Quotes from Alan Magee
