Blue Angel wins Serpentine Speed Stakes with classy display

One of the leading American horses, Blue Angel – by the former Billy Twomey Nations Cup and Grand Prix winning stallion Luidam – showed her class yesterday when winning the Serpentine Speed TRI Stakes at the RDS.

US rider Kent Farrington, who has dominated the winter circuit in Florida and won many leading shows with the bay English bred mare, showed his brilliance with a winning clear in 64.93 seconds.

Blue Angel was sourced and sold to the US by former Irish international Ryan Crumley from Derry, who is now based in England.

Luidam, her sire, is based in Galway with vet Philip McManus and it is Blue Angel who has encouraged many Irish mare owners to use him to produce jumpers.

Down's Conor Swail, a prolific winner on the North American circuit, produced a superb runner-up round in 66.35 on the stallion Lansdowne, who happens to be sired by Guidam, the father of Luidam. Lansdowne was leading sire on the world circuit last year.

Waterford's seriously talented Bertram Allen, with the stallion Romanov, owned by Billy Twomey, gave a copybook round for third place in 67.10, ahead of former Brazilian team rider Cassio Rivetti on Chataga, now riding for Ukraine.

Galway rider Michael Duffy was the worthy winner of the Talbot Hotel Speed Derby with Dermot Forde's chestnut mare Westland Ruby.

Duffy collected €6,600 after speeding ahead in 82.63, despite Cameron Hanley’s challenging clear in 84.97.

Outpaced

Hanley partnered his Wednesday winner Newton du Haut Bois, which outpaced third-placed former Dublin Grand Prix winner Mo Chroi with Capt

Michael Kelly

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Italian Luca Maria Moneta and the chestnut Diamant gelding Jesus de la Commune occupied fourth, under a second faster than Conor Swail on the Calvaro stallion Grafton.

Eddie Macken is also in Dublin this week with his wife Kathy and on the lookout for horses with his son Steven.

Macken, who now lives in Langley, British Columbia, is a popular private trainer on the west coast of America.

Meanwhile, Michael Doyle from Borris, Co Carlow, breeder of Ashdale Cruise Master, winner of the Rolex Kentucky event for Ollie Townsend, praised the quality of stock at the show.

“The quality in the arenas is amazing. We are breeding a better, more classy type of horse and I think there are quite a few people here to buy for showing, eventing and jumping.”