Yorkshire trainer David Nicholls and his wife, leading woman rider Alex Greaves, made a successful first sortie to Ireland when Proud Native won yesterday's Group Three Ballyogan Stakes at Leopardstown.
The gelding was winning his 11th race and cut down Carhue Lass in the closing stages to win by half a length. The odds-on favourite Black Rock Desert finished second last but was found to be lame afterwards.
Owned by the British Horseracing Board chairman, Peter Savill, who won this race with Sea Gazer in 1993, Proud Native was a sixth British winner of this race in 1990s and justified Savill's decision to avoid Epsom on Saturday.
"I wanted to run in the dash at Epsom and then get the ferry here but when the BHB chairman says no, you do what he says," said Nicholls, who was gaining a third Group success as a trainer.
"I will enter him in the Nunthorpe because he is improving and Alex gets on very well with him," added Nicholls, who will make a quick return to Leopardstown tomorrow evening with Referendum in the Ballycorus Stakes.
The latest two-year-old off the Ballydoyle assembly line is the $1 million purchase, Monashee Mountain, who made an impressive debut in the listed Rochestown Stakes.
The 4 to 5 favourite, a strong-looking son of Danzig, made all to beat Yara by a length and a half, and Aidan O'Brien declared him in the front rank of his juvenile ranks.
"I have to rate him very highly and he's a lovely powerful horse," said O'Brien, who will sort out his Royal Ascot plans towards the end of this week.
The easiest winner of the day was Hierarchy, who made all in the opening maiden to win by an eased-down eight lengths. "She had been hitting the crossbar up to now, but if she reproduced her Tipperary run I thought she'd win and it worked out well," said John Oxx.
The Curragh trainer also landed the Milltown Handicap with What A Chocolate; while Co Longford-based Liam Reilly picked up the Motor Neurone Handicap with the 12 to 1 shot, Gossie Madera.
Amateur rider Tom Magnier, son of the Coolmore supremo John Magnier, had a lucky escape at the start of the last race when his mount Hang'Em High escaped under the starting stalls. The stalls were so damaged that the race was started by flag, and Hang'Em High eventually finished sixth to Classic Referendum.
Liam Burke, who took out a trainer's licence back in 1986, recorded the first treble of his career before a good Bank Holiday crowd at the National Hunt fixture at Tralee yesterday.
Just A Playboy initiated the 503 to 1 three-timer for the Cork handler in the Kerry Maiden Hurdle to provide Shane McCann (21) with his eighth success, before Timmy Murphy teamed up with two of his winners, Native Wit in the Joseph Grace Memorial Hurdle and pillar-to-post scorer Boots N All in the Ring Of Kerry Handicap Chase.
John Queally came away with a 71 to 1 double when Cloda's Minstral and Mick Murphy drew clear rounding the home-turn to easily win the mares' maiden hurdle, while Garrett Cotter made all aboard East Coast Cooler to run his rivals ragged in the three-mile handicap chase.
Rum Lad showed his appreciation for soft going when opening his account for the season in the Tote Stakes at Pontefract yesterday. The ground was changed to soft after the third race following heavy rain which continued throughout the afternoon.
But that proved no bar to John Quinn's sprinter, who was well handled by apprentice Chris Cogan to lead inside the final furlong and hold Peter's Imp by a length in the "Showcase" handicap.
