Search For A Song and Colin Keane© Photo Healy Racing
Double Irish St Leger winner Search For A Song bounced right back to form with a devastating display in the Group 3 Loughbrown Stakes in the Curragh.
She was well beaten in sixth in her bid for a St Leger hat-trick earlier in the month but left that run behind today in this two miler.
The Galileo mare moved powerfully under Colin Keane and improved to third at the three marker.
Keane had a double-handful as she breezed past a duelling Lismore and Fernando Vichi two and a half out.
She surged clear of the even-money-favourite The Mediterranean in the final quarter of a mile and was well clear at the furlong pole.
She stormed in by nine and a half lengths at 15/8 from the favourite. Silence Please was half a length down in third at 10/1.
Dermot Weld said: “That was an impressive performance by her and she got the trip very well.
“There is a couple of possibilities and we will see how she comes out of the race before we decide exactly where she runs next.
“She’ll obviously run again this year but we’ll speak with her owner Eva Maria Haefner and then decide where we go with her. The Long Distance Cup in which she was second last year is one of the possibilities.
“She settled beautifully today. It was a very strong pace all the way and you could call her a winner a long way out. I always thought she would get that trip but it was nice to see her do it so well.”
G.M. Ryan, rider of Fernando Vichi trained by Donnacha Aidan O'Brien, reported to the Clerk of Scales that his mount fell independently close to the finish having sustained an injury. The Stewards reviewed this incident and were satisfied that it was independent of all other participants.
Paddy Power cut Search For A Song to 6/1 from 10/1 for the Long Distance Cup.
On his Arc favourite Tarnawa, Weld added: “Tarnawa is well and all set for a week’s time. She has come out of the race (in Leopardstown) fine. It was just a pity that she had to end up on such firm ground but I’m satisfied with her.”
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
