Racing: The astounding Famous Name (1-5 favourite) secured his 20th stakes-race success in the Trigo Stakes at Leopardstown. Despite giving weight away to all of his rivals, Weld's seven-year-old had little difficulty in winning this Listed prize for a third time.
Chrysanthemum and Barack cut out the early running in the mile-and-a-quarter assignment, but Famous Name was never too far away.
Smullen’s partner only really got serious as the field swept into the straight and hammered his nearest pursuer, Demurely, by three and a half lengths.
Famous Name was, incredulously, winning his 13th race from 17 starts and will now been retired and will stand at Irish National Stud.
John Osborne, chief excecutive of the Irish National Stud, said: “Famous Name is retired today after a glorious career. He has had 38 starts and has 21 wins, 20 in stakes company, to his name.
“We are looking forward to producing horses just like him. In six seasons he has only run outside stakes company once, and that was when he won his maiden by seven lengths.
“We are very excited to have him and you couldn’t find a racehorse like him. They’ve always loved him at Rosewell and he has been a great horse to train — he is uncomplicated and sound. He has had six seasons competing at the highest level and always gave him best.”
Big Break showed an outstanding shift of gear to win the JRA Killavullan Stakes. A full sister of the Famous Name, jockey Pat Smullen sat handily in fourth place as Magician, Dont Bother Me and Dubaya jousted for the lead.
It soon became apparent the Dermot Weld-trained Big Break (10-11 favourite) was travelling far better than her rivals, and glided into the lead passing the one-furlong pole.
Her three-and-three-quarters-of-a-length defeat of Beyond Thankful was a fai barometer in which to measure her dominance.
Smullen and Weld had earlier struck with Rasmeyaa (11-8 favourite) in the seven-furlong fillies’ maiden.
Weld said: “Big Break did what we expected. She was very impressive when she won her maiden here on a fast surface and she has done it very well there on a slow surface.
“Pat said while she may have looked like she was impressive, she’d love better ground. She is a very talented filly and she could be a Guineas contender. I wanted to see how she’d handle this slow surface and she chopped and changed her legs a bit.
“On the faster surface, she is more explosive. She is a miler with serious gears.”
Weld also has high hopes for Rasmeyaa, who defeated Kerisa by five and a half lengths in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies' Maiden.
He said: “She ran a lovely race at the Curragh in a stakes race and I was very pleased with her first time up. She’s very good — a very talented filly.
“Obviously we see her as a Group filly for next year and we’ll look at a Guineas trial in the spring. She would like better ground and Pat said it’s slower than you think out there.
“A mile is no problem to her. She does everything right. She has speed and stays.”