RACING: Almost 10 years after winning an Irish Champion Stakes on Pentire, the English jockey Michael Hills returned to Leopardstown last night to land the Group Three Ballyogan Stakes on La Cucaracha.
The filly overcame a less than perfect passage to beat the fast finishing Alexander Icequeen by half a length with the 13 to 8 favourite Kind only third.
"She did it the hard way because we were stuck out wide for most of the way," reported Hills. "She was also on the wrong lead turning in which put us even wider but she loved that fast ground."
Aidan O'Brien's runner Cherokee missed the break and ultimately finished fifth but it was a different story in the opening maiden as the long odds-on favourite Ivan Denisovich screamed Royal Ascot potential with an easy success.
"He has to come into that," O'Brien said of the half brother to the Breeders' Cup Mile winner War Chant. "He had a lovely run at Newbury the first day and that was another step forward."
Kieren Fallon added to that success when cajoling Enfield Chase to a first career success in the seven-furlong handicap, eventually running out a length and a half winner from Inspectors Choice.
It was a different story in the Glencairn Stakes however as Fallon's mount Solskjaer was done with a furlong out, leaving the 12 to 1 outsider Lord Admiral to sweep past Mustameet for an impressive success.
The winner carried the colours of the legendary Vincent O'Brien and his son Charles joked: "I don't know how he got through last year without winning. It's an achievement on the trainer's part!" Lord Admiral had won only one of his previous 12 career starts and as a result paid 33 to 1 on the Tote last night.
Zarandja made most of the running to land the seven-furlong maiden under Michael Kinane and will now be tried in a handicap. There was some interest in the Ballydoyle second string The Iron Giant in this but he ran green and never figured, eventually finishing only seventh.
Kinane later added the two-mile handicap to his tally when driving Charlie Swan's Oodachee to a narrow win over Lowlander and Baron De Feypo.
Johnny Murtagh was cleared yesterday to ride Derby favourite Motivator at Epsom on Saturday after having a three-day suspension reduced to two upon appeal.
Murtagh was found guilty of careless riding after partnering Miss Brush to win at Lingfield Park last week.
Murtagh contested the decision and after a hearing of the Jockey Club's disciplinary panel, which lasted about an hour and a quarter, the punishment was reduced to two days.
Under Jockey Club rules, a suspension of two days or less is automatically deferred if clashing with a Group One race in Britain so the rider's ban now starts the day after the Derby.
