Eventual winner Mouteab (Pat Smullen) tracks Breccbennach into the straight© Photo Healy Racing
There were two big morning market movers for the Irish Stallion Farms European Breeders Fund (C & G) Maiden at Dundalk. However Mouteab the favourite, was able to end a string of three twos with a win, completing a double for his trainer Dermot Weld and jockey Pat Smullen.
Weld and Smullen had half an hour previously been victorious with Bracing Breeze Here the Hamdan Al Maktoum-owned Mouteab, equipped with blinkers for the third time, stayed going too powerfully from over a furlong out to beat the Joseph O'Brien-ridden Ballydoyle contender Magician (7s this morning into 100/30) by half a length.
Mouteab and Magician had both run behind Mooqtar on Champion Stakes afternoon at Leopardstown nineteen days back. Another one that competed in that race was Noor Al Balad He was backed from 25/1 this morning into 5/1 here but he had to settle for sixth place.
Smullen now leading Joseph O'Brien by 73 to 72 in the race to be champion jockey, said: "His experience told today and I think he liked the surface. He's probably been a bit unlucky to run into a few useful ones."
When asked about when the jockey's title race becomes an issue for him Smullen said: "I start to think about the championship in March."
Stan James now go 8/15 Joseph O'Brien (from 1/3), 11/8 Pat Smullen (from 2/1) for the Irish Flat Jockeys Championship 2012. (AM & EM)
