The imprecise nature of horse breeding was emphasised once again at Killarney last night when Dance So Suite won the second division of the maiden hurdle.
Less than 24 hours earlier the gelding's three year younger half brother Victory Note had sped to Classic glory in the French 2,000 Guineas: from Longchamp to Killarney in one easy pedigree.
In fairness to Dance So Suite he was a very useful operator on the flat for Paul Cole, winning five races including landing a tidy gamble at Epsom last September and now looks a decent dual purpose prospect for Edward O'Grady.
Dance So Suite drifted in the market yesterday to 9 to 4 and his jumping was occasionally a little untidy, but he was galloping all over his rivals early in the straight and he could afford to be untidy at the last and still win hard held by five lengths.
Indeed he won so easily, Norman Williamson pulled him up in a way that the stewards described as "abruptly". They were concerned about the possibility of that causing an accident to the following horses, but in truth they were travelling so comparatively slowly on the soft ground that that possibility appeared unlikely!
Dance So Suite is now likely to run in a handicap at the Curragh's Guineas weekend and could then try to add to owner John Gutkin's enviable Killarney record in July.
The £10,000 Heineken Handicap looked a competitive race beforehand, but the 13 to 2 chance Bajan Queen ultimately ran out an easy winner for trainer Pat Martin and apprentice Shane Kelly, who was having his seventh winner of the season.
Bajan Queen and Dunrally Fort ranged up on either side of the pacemaking Flaunt two furlongs out but it was Bajan Queen who found the most to win her sixth flat race in addition to two over hurdles.
"A couple of years ago she might not have done that if she was in front that early. She was slightly quirky. We'll probably go for a handicap at Fairyhouse which she won last year, and she's due to be covered but we can't decide by which stallion," Martin said afterwards.
Tommy Stack's newcomer Time Limit is probably better than your usual Monday night maiden winner, judged on a seven-length defeat of Forget About It, with the favourite Baniyka only fourth, in the Kingdom Maiden.
Jamie Spencer unleashed the filly outside the distance and she quickly settled the issue, prompting Stack to say: "She's not bad now. I was going to run her in a Listed on Saturday but decided not to and I wasn't sure how she'd handle this ground but she's pretty handy and it wasn't a bad race."
Stack also reported that his Moyglare winner, Tarascon, who ruined her Newmarket 1,000 Guineas chance by getting very upset in the stalls, is still a possible for the Irish 1,000 Guineas. "But it is only a small chance that we can get her there sound," he said.
Rain had caused Sunday's official ground of good to yielding to be changed to soft yesterday and the change in going resulted in the non-appearance of Iftatah in the Weldon Handicap. In his absence, Back To Bavaria was made favourite but she needed an ultrapowerful John Murtagh drive to hold the fast-finishing Ein Tresor by the minimum margin.
"She's game as a pebble, if we had half a dozen like her things would be great," said her Welsh born, Killucan, Co Westmeath trainer John Bowles. "She'll be a great jumper of hurdles when the ground dries up."
Cavalier d'Or has flattered in the past but helped by the fall of Nicholls Cross at the second last, he landed the Beginners Chase for Arthur Moore, who will now run the horse at Fairyhouse before his eligibility for novice hurdles ends on June 1st.
