RACING: John Oxx sent out a double to add to his two winners at Cork as Carallia and Blatant both sauntered home on a glorious afternoon at Naas.
Seventeen-year-old Jamie Moriarty, who weighs just over six stone, was partnering his second winner aboard Carallia in the opening Derrinstown Stud Apprentice Series Maiden.
The Common Grounds filly, who drifted from 2 to 1 to 11 to 4 in the ring, trounced her rivals by six lengths and could step up to listed company for her next start, according to her trainer.
"She's had a few little setbacks, and has to wear a Monty Roberts blanket entering the stalls, but hopefully she will go on from here," added Oxx.
Blatant was sent off a red-hot 1 to 2 favourite for the Woodlands Park Maiden and duly atoned for last week's costly failure at Galway in a quite effortless fashion.
Johnny Murtagh elected to make all on the Machiavellian colt, and the pair had three and a half lengths to spare over promising stable-companion Mirific at the line.
"It's been a good day all round," said Oxx afterwards. "This horse did well at Galway, which is a difficult place to win first time out, and appreciated the better ground here. We will see what the handicapper does now, but he could go for a 'winners of one' at Tipperary next."
Murtagh quickly followed up himself in the Johnstown Handicap, where the well-supported Desert Hill landed the spoils with plenty in hand.
Richard Hughes will replace Richard Quinn in the HOK Design Team Britain and Ireland in the Blue Square Shergar Cup at Ascot.
Quinn has been claimed by his main retainer Henry Cecil to ride at another meeting on Saturday.
"Frankie Dettori has to go to Deauville but the plus side is that we've got a new high-profile name on show in Andreas Suborics, and that's what the event is all about." Snooker star John Parrott manages the home side, which will be captained by Kieren Fallon, with Pat Eddery, Kevin Darley, Michael Kinane and Johnny Murtagh completing the team.
In the absence of Dettori, who rides Sakhee for Godolphin at Deauville on Saturday, David Flores steps in as captain of the Dubai Duty Free Rest of the World team, to be managed by former champion jockey Michael Roberts.
As well as Suborics, Flores's other teammates are Gerard Mosse, Craig Williams, Doug Whyte and Hiroki Goto.
Trainers have given the thumbs up to the Shergar Cup, with a total of 178 horses standing their ground for the six races at yesterday's confirmation stage.
There were a massive 406 entries, no doubt tempted by free entry, prize money totalling £335,000 and cash all the way to 10th and last place in race.
Moon Emperor is one of 25 left in the Millennium Hotels And Resorts Shergar Cup over two miles which features the sole Irish entry for the entire meeting, Dermot Weld's Direct Bearing. Twenty-five also remain in the Carvill Shergar Cup Challenge.
