Michael Kinane got into Group-winning form in Epsom Derby week when he pounced late on Lidanna to land yesterday's Group Three Ballyogan Stakes at Leopardstown.
With this performance Kinane emphasised yet again why he is in such demand in the major races. Lidanna travelled particularly easily in the sprint to the two-furlong marker but then found herself momentarily in jail behind the English raider, Almaty, and the weakening favourite, Lady Alexander.
When John Murtagh unleashed Strike Hard on the outside to take an almost three-length lead into the final furlong, Kinane could have been excused for sweating a bit but it's at such moments that nerve comes into play.
Kinane coolly waited for a gap to appear and to her credit Lidanna accelerated impressively to overhaul Strike Hard in the final strides and ultimately win by a rather cosy head.
"It's lovely that she is back to near her best because she is a great bit of stuff," said winning trainer David Hanley. "She was a bit unlucky at a vital stage in the Greenlands but she got the good pace she liked today and was able to race on the bridle."
Lidanna won the Greenlands two years ago, after which she ran in Ascot's King's Stand. She is in that race and the Cork & Orrery at Ascot again but Hanley is not committing her to either just yet.
Kinane was also on the mark in the opening maiden on Dermot Weld's 30th winner of the season, the 15 to 2 shot Foreign Love. This filly smoothly went past Sacrementum early in the straight and easily held off the odds-on newcomer Keriyoun.
"When things are going for you, you win races like that," smiled Weld. "The second looked a little green and the race ran for us, but the filly has been working well and knew her job."
The other black type race, the Silver Flash Stakes, however, proved just beyond Kinane and Weld, whose favourite Camargo failed by the minimum margin to reel in the Aidan O'Brien-trained April Starlight.
The winner was easy to back in the market and O'Brien said: "She was very green in the Marble Hill Stakes and was green again there. All our two-year-olds seem to be coming on for their racing."
Roche and O'Brien scored again later in the afternoon. O'Brien took the amateur maiden with the Colin Murphy-ridden Bootlegger, an odds-on winner from Punting Pete; while Roche joined forces with Charles O'Brien to win the Wexford Maiden in a tight finish on Campo Catino.
John Oxx supplied another odds-on favourite here, with Nicola Bella starting at 4 to 6. The filly looked to have everything covered but, when asked to go and win, she wandered around and Roche forced Campo Catino back up to win by a short head.
Weld and Kinane were also beaten for the Milltown Handicap when Right Job, a sixth winner for apprentice Danny Grant, had too much for Key provider in the final 100 yards; and in the Sommerville Handicap Amontillado continued Shane Kelly's good run when beating Royal South by half a length.
Dr Johnson, runner up to Desert King in last year's Irish Derby, has been retired.
The Charles O'Brien trained colt suffered a tendon injury in last Sunday's Tattersalls Gold Cup when fourth to Daylami.
"He had a big tendon on Monday which was very annoying considering we minded him all winter and then injures himself in his first race," O'Brien said yesterday.
