Aidan O'Brien has been by far the dominant training presence this season and the Ballydoyle handler hit another high at Gowran yesterday when Shahtoush brought his winner total to 200 for 1997.
That includes flat and jumps winners plus successes abroad which is a phenomenal score with two and a half months remaining.
If Christy Roche and Shahtoush felt the pressure of bringing up the double century and justifying their 1 to 2 starting price in the first division of the maiden, it certainly didn't show. A free-wheeling performance saw them up with the pace throughout and then quickening clear to beat Hallucination with Roche pulling Shahtoush close home.
Considering her third placing in the Moyglare Stud Stakes, it was hardly surprising to see Shahtoush prove herself different class. The Derrinstown Apprentice race may have been a 17-runner handicap but that didn't stop all bar Lady Oranswell starting at 10 to 1 or better. Lady Oranswell was a raging hot 11 to 8 favourite and, taking it up early in the straight, she gave her backers few worries.
Apprentice Niall Callan received a 14-day ban from the stewards in this race for making insufficient effort on the ninth horse, Hulal, and was ordered to forfeit his riding fee.
The Wexford Handicap Chase also went to the warm favourite, in this case Shuil Na Mhuire, who joined the pacesetting Pancho's Tango before the straight and was always in control after touching down over the last. It was the third success on the mare for Joe Casey. In contrast the punters' choice in the Careys Cottage Handicap Chase, Penndara, was beaten before the last and had only a back view of Beakstown as Paddy Mullins' charge overhauled New Co, who had been travelling like a winner from before the turn in. Liscahill Hill had been just overtaken in the last strides during his first visit to Gowran earlier in the month but he made no mistake in yesterday's bumper. Daniel Loughnane put him into the lead coming out of the back stretch and although the favourite Native Estates tried to close, Liscahill Hill pulled eight lengths clear.
Geisha Girl got a notably strong drive from Niall McCullagh to just hold the favourite Star Begonia in the second division of the maiden and Persian Isle stayed on too strongly for Sun Lion in the Nursery.
