RACING NAAS REPORT:EMULOUS BROUGHT a momentous weekend for the Saudi owner Prince Khalid Abdullah to a winning conclusion at Naas yesterday by landing the Garnet Stakes in some style.
Abdullah’s famous pink and green colours were carried to a Group One double at Newmarket on Saturday by Frankel and Twice Over which capped a remarkable year for the owner’s Juddmonte organisation.
Workforce’s Derby-Arc double has been backed up by a dual-Guineas heroine in Special Duty in an overall big race haul for 2010 that Emulous had already contributed to earlier this month with a Group Three victory in the Concorde Stakes.
Yesterday’s race was a grade lower at Listed level but her trainer, Dermot Weld, predicts there could be better to come from the daughter of Dansili in 2011.
“I will talk to Lord Grimthorpe (Juddmonte racing manager) and I will be advising Prince Khalid to keep her in training as I think the best is yet to come,” the Curragh trainer said after a two-length defeat of Barring Decree.
“That was a very professional performance. The patience we showed with her in the spring is paying dividends.”
Emulous was winner number 87 of the season for jockey Pat Smullen who ended yesterday with a seven-strong lead in the jockey’s championship over Fran Berry (80) and Johnny Murtagh (79).
Murtagh edged Smullen out in a tight finish to the opening juvenile maiden as the €160,000 purchase Ruling emulated his father Footstepsinthesand who won the same race six years previously in a debut that preceded classic success the following season.
Ruling had just a head in hand of Anderiego to continue a fruitful weekend for Aidan O’Brien who scored a Grade One success in Saturday night’s Canadian International with Joshua Tree at Woodbine.
Smullen also had to settle for second in the juvenile fillies maiden on board the favourite Flic Flac as Berry pounced late on the 9 to 1 winner Redskin Dancer.
“I thought she might need another furlong and another run to wake her up as she is very quiet at home. But she did well and she should do quite well next year over seven furlongs with ease in the ground,” trainer John Oxx said.
Redskin Dancer carried the famous old colours of Sir Douglas Clague which are now used by his son Jonathon.
Berry later completed a double on Gimli’s Rock who pounced late and wide in the mile-and-a-half handicap to beat Final Flashback.
Knock Stars provided Navan-based Pat Martin with the biggest success of his 26-year training career by landing the €70,000 Derrinstown Stud Birdcatcher Nursery.
Pádraig Beggy’s mount squeezed between Petronius Maximus and Bad Romance to pull three-parts of a length clear of Sydney Harbour and Tell The Wind.
“She can be very hot and quirky but very straight-forward when it comes to racing,” Martin said.
“When you think we couldn’t win a claimer with her, but she has really improved in the last couple of months.”
Oneeightofamile and Lancetto started 9 to 4 joint-favourites for the conditions hurdle and it was the latter who emerged best despite a second-last flight mistake that almost handed the advantage to his rival.
Lancetto carries the colours of English owner Mark Gittins whose Group One winner, Lord Shanakill, has been retired to the Irish National Stud for next year.
“We’ll have to assess things now because I think this horse is better than that. I might try and find a Graded race,” said Lancetto’s trainer James Hartnett.
“He’ll go on any ground once it’s not tacky.”
Colm Murphy trained the bumper winner in Cork and also at Naas where jockey Mikey Fogarty pounced late on Raise The Beat to beat the well-backed Dynamic Approach.
