Another top prize falls to Prescott

Wizard King gave Newmarket trainer Mark Prescott a third significant weekend victory when justifying favouritism in the Coolmore…

Wizard King gave Newmarket trainer Mark Prescott a third significant weekend victory when justifying favouritism in the Coolmore Stud Home of Champions Concorde Stakes at Tipperary yesterday afternoon.

The even money favourite, in front from halfway under George Duffield, just lasted home from Orange Grouse to book a likely return trip next month for the Knockaire Stakes at Leopardstown.

"My luck is in this weekend - when things go well you win races like this by a whisker rather than losing them," said Sir Mark. The Newmarket handler explained that Saturday's Tote Cambridgeshire hero Pasternak and his Curragh winner, Alborada, are both finished for the season.

"Wizard King loves running in Ireland and we may well bring him back for the Leopardstown race before hopefully getting an invitation to Hong Kong," he added.

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This victory in the Group Three event saw Wizard King return seven victories and two seconds from just nine runs in this country in a career that is likely to be extended to next year.

The runner-up Orange Grouse, partnered by Jamie Spencer, might well have caught Wizard King had she not collided under two furlongs out with Dangerous Diva.

Aidan O'Brien did not enjoy much luck in the opening two races, a leather coming undone for Christy Roche aboard the odds-on Chateau Royal in the opening juvenile maiden.

Then after the Croom House Stud Chase, O'Brien's Idiots Venture had to be put down, having broken down badly when losing by half a length to his only market rival, Beakstown.

Richard Dunwoody employed enterprising front-running tactics on Punting Pete to claim the conditions hurdle by 10 lengths from O'Brien's What's The Verdict.