Racing: Casual Conquest looks set for the Irish Champion Stakes after notching up a second victory of the season in the Royal Whip Stakes at the Curragh.
Winner of the Tattersalls Gold Cup earlier in the campaign, Dermot Weld’s four-year-old faced a pretty straightforward task on paper and that was how it proved in the end.
Pat Smullen oozed confidence throughout and even though Luca Cumani’s Curtain Call looked threatening at one point, Casual Conquest eventually pulled clear to win by a length and a quarter.
Casual Conquest was left unchanged at 20-1 by Victor Chandler for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe but William Hill shortened him to 20s from 25s.
Weld said: “Casual Conquest did that nicely as the runner-up is a decent horse. He is ideally suited by soft ground but extremes of ground are not for him — he has now won one Group One and two Group Two races.
“We’ll reflect on his next target but the Irish Champion Stakes is his most likely port of call.”
Weld and Smullen completed a Group-race double as Famous Name coasted to victory in the Desmond Stakes over a mile.
The Khalid Abdullah-owned colt had matters in safe-keeping from a long way out, with the 3-10 favourite eventually taking the Group Three prize by an easy four and a half lengths from Three Rocks.
Weld said: “He did it very well and has been very consistent all year. A mile is his optimum trip and he may run next in the Prix du Moulin at Longchamp (September 6).”
Girouette hung on grimly from the determined challenge of Perfect Polly to win the Patrick P. O’Leary Memorial Phoenix Sprint.
Tracey Collins’ four-year-old appeared to have the race in safe-keeping but Perfect Polly, a winner only last Sunday, came with a late rattle under Fran Berry.
Pat Shanahan was sending out real distress signals for the first time and it looked as if he had just been collared, but when the photograph came out Girouette (5-1) had hung on by a short head. Frank Sheridan’s Icelandic stayed on into third.
Collins said: “Pat gave her a masterful ride. She has had her problems, but he knows her so well. She is a filly that you don’t want to disappoint and Pat let her stride on. It was a really top-class ride.
“We’ll come back here on September 12 for a Group Three over six furlongs.”
Gile Na Greine made a highly promising debut when overcoming a lack of experience in the Loder EBF Fillies Race.
Trained by Jim Bolger, the daughter of Galileo is a full-sister to stablemate Cuis Ghaire and showed she at least has a decent level of ability.
Kevin Prendergast’s Jade Jewel was all the rage and was sent off the 6-4 favourite, while Aidan O’Brien’s Black Eyed Susan, a daughter of Montjeu, was also well fancied.
The three pulled miles clear inside the final furlong but Gile Na Greine (6-1) stamped her authority on the contest and won by a length and a quarter in the end.
Bolger said: “Cuis Ghaire (runner-up in this year’s English 1000 Guineas) would be pacier than Gile Na Greine but Gile Na Greine will stay better — we’ll have to think about running her in the Moyglare Stakes next.”
She was given a quote of 25-1 for next year’s 1000 Guineas at Newmarket by Stan James.