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- Review curragh 12th Oct
Review curragh 12th Oct
Aidan O'Brien
© Photo Healy Racing
Donnacha O'Brien made it a red-letter day for the famous Ballydoyle clan as he won the Irish Cesarewitch at the Curragh on his father Aidan's top-weight El Salvador
The teenager secured his first success only last month at Dundalk and he gave the 25-1 shot an uncomplicated ride, hitting the front a quarter of a mile out down the outside in the colours of his mother Anne-Marie.
He was challenged strongly by Hidden Universe and his own stable's Marchese Marconi the mount of elder brother Joseph, but saw them off as El Salvador ran on strongly to beat the former by a length.
The result completed a Ballydoyle treble including victory for Together Forever who is beginning to make a name for herself and went about her business in a professional manner to lead home a one-two for the yard in the Staffordstown Stud Stakes.
Joseph O'Brien sent her up to contest the lead two furlongs out in the Listed event along with stable companion Cocoon and the 11-10 favourite quickly got on top to pass the post with a three-length advantage.
The other success arrived when Royal Navy Ship (6-1) led a furlong out under Seamie Heffernan and held on by a length and a half from fast-charging stablemate Jacobean in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden.
Eddie Lynam added another sprint trophy to his enviable collection when 15-8 favourite Viztoria stormed away with the Listed Go Racing In Kildare Waterford Testimonial Stakes, hitting the front a quarter of a mile out and asserting under Pat Smullen to beat stablemate Gathering Power by three lengths.
The last race of the Curragh's season, the Listed Finale Stakes, was marked for export when the Luca Cumani-trained Second Step (13-2) responded gamely to Andrea Atzeni's urgings to get the better of Chance To Dance by half a length in a rousing finish.
Wayne Lordan travelled sweetly on 11-8 favourite Fastnet Mist in the Irish Field EBF Fillies Maiden but had to work to hold Diylawa by a neck, while Leigh Roche delivered Devonshire (7-1) with a sweeping run to claim the Irish Stallio