FRENCH Ballerina turned yesterday evening's Jones Lang Wootton Savel Beg Stakes at Leopardstown into the proverbial procession and left the impression that the best of her is yet to be seen.
Substantially backed from 9/4 to 11/8, in the race itself French Ballerina shot clear of her field in the straight to win by eight easy lengths under Seamus Heffernan. Trainer, Pat Flynn was hardly surprised by another significant success for the Mrs John Magnier colours.
"I knew the filly was in top notch form and I'm delighted she has done it so well," Flynn said of French Ballerina who was picking up her third listed success in a row. "She's in the Ascot Gold Cup but we will also be thinking of races like the Curragh Cup," Flynn added.
The Carrick-On-Suir trainer praised the state of the Leopardstown ground officially described as good but Dermot Weld was more relieved than pleased after his Lady Shannon easily won the IAVI Golden Jubilee Handicap.
"Our only concern was that they had overwatered the track." Watering to take the sting out is one thing but excessive watering is not on and that ground is slow," Weld said.
Lady Shannon dealt with it capably though and followed a family tradition over Leopardstown's five furlongs established by her Dam Flowing who won the Flying Five here in 1991 and 1992. There was a less happy result in this race for Seamus Heffernan who picked up a two-day ban for using his whip excessively on the fourth Roblexie.
Another Weld runner Moving On Up, was the subject of another gamble in the Gunne Maiden, moving from 2/I to 4/5 but this one came unstuck as the colt couldn't cope with the late thrust of the John Oxx trained Red Affair.
Family Crest's debut thrust in the Roundwood Maiden was even more impressive as he gave Aidan O'Brien his ninth individual two-year-old winner this season. Slowly away, the colt, closely related to King Of Kings, effortlessly made up his ground to beat Be Crafty by an almost contemptuous length and a half.
The O'Brien trained Colonel Henderson started a warm favourite for the bumper but could never get in a blow at the front running Oonagh's Star and eventually finished a tired third while Frau Dante survived a stewards enquiry after crossing Welsh Grit in the last 200 yards to land the North and Co Handicap Hurdle.
. Lynda Ramsden and Fergal Lynch's appeal against the disqualification of Epic Stand at Newcastle last Thursday will be heard by the Jockey Club disciplinary committee today.
