Apples And Bananas continued a fruitful season to land the lucrative Goffs Million at the Curragh.
Joseph O’Brien’s Wootton Bassett colt was a Listed winner at Deauville last time out and therefore came into the race well fancied at 5-2 under Dylan Browne McMonagle.
Aidan O’Brien’s Antelope Canyon was the 9-4 favourite and it was that horse and Apples And Bananas who traded blows in the closing stages of the race.
Ultimately, the latter came out on top, showing a game attitude to prevail by a head on the line and take home the top prize of €495,000.
“He’s a very tough horse. It was a good aggressive ride from Dylan and he stayed on to the line well,” said Joseph O’Brien, who also trained the third, fourth and ninth-placed horses.
“I’m delighted with him, he’s as tough as nails. He’s obviously better at a mile but it’s a great pot to win and fair play to Goffs.
“It’s a fantastic incentive for people to buy horses next week [at the Orby sale] and we’ll hopefully be going back to try and find one for next year.
“He had stakes form, went and led all the way and he’s a good horse. He’s a horse that should go 10 furlongs next year, he has a bit of stamina in his pedigree, as it’s an Aga Khan family.
“We’ll have a look at one of those Saint-Cloud races and he’s in the Futurity Trophy as well, which we’ll have a look at too. I’d say he might run in one of those races before we pull up for the year.
“I’m delighted to win a good pot and delighted how our other ones ran as well. It’s great to get the few placings as well, they ran fantastic.
“Mikey [Sheehy] said that he met a lot of traffic [on third-placed Celtic Motif] and I have to watch it again. I knew at halfway he was on the stand rail with a whole pack in front of him, so she did well to be third.”
Hotazhell got back to winning ways with a tough success in the Montane Developments Beresford Stakes and could bid for Group One glory at Doncaster next.
Jessica Harrington’s colt was denied a hat-trick when second in the Irish Futurity Stakes last time and was ridden by Shane Foley as the 2-1 joint-favourite on his return to the same track.
Foley had to get active in the saddle at an early stage in the race but he was clearly right in thinking the bay had more to offer, as the duo eventually ground out a three-quarter-length win from Tennessee Stud.
“He’s very good. We’re delighted with him,” said Harrington of her Group Two scorer. “He travels and then he comes off it. When he came back on it again, he was always going to tough it out.
“He’s a good horse. He’ll probably go for the Futurity at Doncaster, he gets the mile really well, so we might as well go there.
“He’s by Too Darn Hot but he gets the mile well, he stays every yard of that. I’m delighted for Bonnie and Tommy Hamilton, who own him. They had Pathfork with me as well.”
