Sport

Wachman's Duntle digs deep for Desmond victory

RACING: DUNTLE FOLLOWED up her Royal Ascot success with a battling victory in the Desmond Stakes at Leopardstown last night.

Fri Aug 17 2012 - 01:00

RACING:DUNTLE FOLLOWED up her Royal Ascot success with a battling victory in the Desmond Stakes at Leopardstown last night.

Racing on markedly different ground to that which saw her claim the Sandringham Handicap at the Royal meeting, David Wachman’s lightly-raced filly travelled sweetly in mid-division as Requisition and Ballybacka Lady cut out the pace.

The latter looked the one to catch two furlongs out but Duntle (5 to 2) picked up when asked by Wayne Lordan and asserted inside the furlong pole, eventually scoring three-quarters of a length to secure a valuable Group Three win.

Lordan said: “She travelled well. Although the ground is not ideal early on it’s a bit better from the two-furlong marker to the line. She’s done it okay, but will prefer better ground. Her heart is in the right place.”

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Earlier, the Wachman-trained Galileo Rock (8 to 1) created a huge impression when storming to a debut victory in the Irish Stallion Farms European Breeders Fund Maiden. Still with plenty to do off the home turn, the two-year-old really found his stride and once engaging top gear, the race was soon over.

A half-brother to top stayer Saddler’s Rock, Lordan’s mount had seven lengths in hand over favourite Hall Of Mirrors, who did not help his cause when hanging in the straight. Lordan said: “He’s a little bit babyish, but when he met the rising ground he changed his legs and the penny dropped. He’s a nice horse. He works really nice at home.

“He’ll definitely get a trip and he feels like he wants really nice ground – I thought it might be a bit slow with all the rain but he proved me wrong.”

Stan James were impressed, giving Galileo Rock a 25 to 1 quote for next year’s Investec Derby.

Piri Wango (11 to 4 favourite) showed the right attitude in getting back up to claim the Saw Doctors Handicap, having led for much of the seven-furlong contest but headed at one stage by Flic Flac.

What Style made an eyecatching debut in the seven-furlong juvenile fillies’ maiden for John Oxx and Niall McCullagh. The daughter of Teofilo, backed from 7s to 5s, came with a good sustained run coming off the home bend and dug deep under McCullagh to beat Snow Queen by half a length.