A year after sustaining serious injuries in the 2023 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby, Wayne Lordan enjoyed a much happier day when scoring on Aidan O’Brien’s second-string Henri Matisse in the Gain Railway Stakes.
The 8/1 outsider of the five runners for the Group Two highlight had made a winning debut over course and distance a month previously but was discarded by Ryan Moore in favour of the 11/8 favourite Tunbridge Wells.
However, the latter couldn’t go with the English raider The Strikin Viking going into the final furlong and it was Lordan who successfully brought Henri Matisse from last to first to win by half a length.
“The six [furlongs] today we felt might be on the sharp side for him, but he finished off the race well and I think he won well at the line.
“We went a good gallop and I was able to just hang on to the back of them and from three out I started to squeeze and I thought the last half furlong was the best part of it.
“I hit the line well and thought he had a look when he got there. He’s by the right stallion [Wootton Bassett], they show pace, but I think this fellow is going to stay as well so I this is a stepping stone for when he goes up in trip,” Lordan said.
Ballydoyle’s number two only returned to race-riding in February following his spill from the ill-fated San Antonio half a mile from home in last year’s Derby. It left him with concussion, fractures to his legs and elbow, as well as a serious laceration to his arm.
It was a record-equalling 14th success in the Group Two for O’Brien who nominated the Futurity followed by the National Stakes as a potential route for the winner. He also blamed himself for Moore being on the ‘wrong’ one.
“That was my fault really. I thought he was a bit more forward and a bit harder. It was hard to assess this horse after the last day, he made very hard work of winning. Obviously, I put Ryan on the wrong one – but I do plenty of that!” he joked.
Billy Lee’s single-mindedness paid off with a vengeance in the €100,000 Rockingham. The rider broke from stall one and immediately went to the far rail on Amazon Lady, a 22/1 outsider who thrived on her own away from the pack and scored by 1½ lengths.
The winner is in foal to New Bay and could finish up her racing career in pursuit of black type in a Naas Listed race next month.
My Mate Alfie secured such winning status in the Dash, getting the best of a blanket finish for Ger Lyons and Colin Keane.
“A real, good horse will always beat him at that level but he’s there and he’ll be a lovely four-year-old. I think he takes any which ground but when the rain came I knew it wouldn’t hinder him,” Lyons said.
The marathon Derby programme, the first nine-race card at the Curragh in the modern era, opened with a winning favourite as Sharinay got off the rail in plenty of time to secure premier handicap success.
Trainer Tom Gibney won the Irish Grand National with Intense Raffles at Easter and struck on Derby-day with Booyea in another of the premier handicaps. Gavin Ryan’s mount scored despite being difficult pre-race.
“I wasn’t on the ball today, I should have had earplugs or something on him. He got really upset before the race and I honestly thought that was it, race over,” Gibney said.
“He’s very revved, that’s the way he is. He actually hasn’t been that revved in a long time. Last year he was very difficult but he settled down a lot and we thought we were past all that.
“He got very revved up today, but I suppose it is Derby Day. Like I say I just wasn’t thinking ahead. To have a winner at the Curragh is fantastic anyway and on Derby Day is even extra [special],” he added.
Booyea’s rider Gavin Ryan got a four-day careless riding suspension afterwards.
The three-year-old Azada started an evens favourite for the Listed Celebration Stakes but could finish only third behind topweight Lord Massusus and jockey Gary Carroll.
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