Duke opens Group One book

DUKE OF Marmalade emulated former stablemate Dylan Thomas as he opened his season with a victory in the Group One Prix Ganay (10½f) at Longchamp yesterday.

Aidan O'Brien's four-year-old turned in a string of high-class performances last term, including finishing second to Dylan Thomas in the Irish Champion Stakes, but he failed to get his head in front at the highest level.

However, he righted that statistic with a useful victory over the German raider Saddex.

Jockey Johnny Murtagh made his move two furlongs from home, pushing to the front as Saddex set off in pursuit. Despite the German runner looking a big danger inside the distance, Duke Of Marmalade held off the challenge of the runner up by half a length.

Richard Fahey's Anna Pavlova was a late withdrawal along with O'Brien's Red Rock Canyon while favourite Zambezi Sun finished last of the six runners.

Duke Of Marmalade is now set to follow the same route as Dylan Thomas with O'Brien targeting the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh on May 25th for his charge. O'Brien said: "He was operated on at the beginning of the year and he has been working so much better since then and has been very pleasing in all his work.

"He may run in the Tattersalls Gold Cup now and obviously he is very versatile as he can go between a mile and a mile and three furlongs."

Coral responded to Duke Of Marmalade's success by cutting him to 8 to 1 from 16 to 1 for the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot while he is now 10 to 1 from 25 to 1 for the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

Proviso's Classic hopes had suffered a blow earlier on the card when she finished only third in the Prix Vanteaux.

Andre Fabre's filly was runner-up in the Fillies' Mile at Ascot last year and Stephane Pasquier was always prominent as she tackled nine furlongs for the first time. However, Proviso could find no extra inside the final furlong as Belle Allure and Wait And See challenged down the middle of the track. The former prevailed by one and a half lengths for Davy Bonilla while Proviso was a further two lengths back in third.

Fabre and Pasquier had gained some compensation in the previous race though, with Coastal Path running out a convincing length-and-a-half-winner of the Prix de Barbeville.

Meanwhile, O'Brien's dual Ascot Gold Cup winner Yeats made a successful start to his season with victory in the Vintage Crop Stakes at Navan.

The seven-year-old won the one-mile-five-furlong heat 12 months ago and he was sent off the 4 to 6 favourite to follow up in the hands of Séamus Heffernan.

However, the Ballydoyle stable stalwart had to work hard for victory and he looked set to be swallowed up as Red Maloney kicked for home around a furlong and a half out.

Yeats dug deep though, and his class just told as he stole a three-quarter-length margin at the line with British raider Alfie Flits finishing a creditable third. Heffernan said: "The horse is much the same as last year but not as far forward but I never thought I was in any real danger of getting beat."

William Hill left Yeats as their 2 to 1 favourite to claim a third Gold Cup success at the Royal meeting.

Ruby Walsh, Willie Mullins and JP McManus took the main honours at the end of the Irish jumps season at Punchestown on Saturday. Mullins was crowned champion jumps trainer for the third time after beating off the challenge of Noel Meade.

In a great day for the Mullins clan, Willie's son, Patrick, lifted the qualified riders' championship, with 31 winners.

Walsh took the jockeys' title for the fourth year running and for the sixth time in all after denying Davy Russell.

An injury late in the season put paid to any chance Russell had but he was far from disgraced with 125 winners compared to Walsh's 131 and he was able to celebrate a last-day double with Won In The Dark and Oscar Rebel.