BILLED AS ROYAL Ascot Trials day, Sunday’s Naas meeting produced three winners, all of them trained by Aidan O’Brien, who will be making the journey to Berkshire next month.
The Commonwealth Cup or the King’s Stand Stakes will be the target for So Perfect who took the Group 3 Goffs Lacken Stakes by two and a quarter lengths, under Ryan Moore.
“She’s a big powerful filly and dropping her back to six furlongs today was the right thing to do. We’re delighted with her, “O’Brien said of the daughter of Scat Daddy.
BoyleSports go 14-1 for the Commonwealth Cup while Paddy Power are 12-1 (from 25-1).
The Moore-ridden Pistoletta overcame some scary moments prior to his half-length win in the four-runner Coolmore Gustav Klimt Race over 5f.
The Ballydoyle juvenile, who was making it two from two, had to be taken out of the stalls to be checked over and after his win, O’Brien said: “He banged his hip going into the stalls and then got upset and kicked off his two hind shoes.
“It wasn’t a good experience for him and while we thought he might win easier than he did, he did well to win in the circumstances. All being well he’ll go to Ascot but whether he’ll run over five or six furlongs there I’m not sure.”
The Albany Stakes beckons for Etoile who made a winning debut, under Seamie Heffernan, in the Group 3 Coolmore Fillies Sprint Stakes, getting the better of Peace Charter by half a length.
“She had been working nicely but it was a big ask first-time out and there should be plenty of improvement to come, ” said O’Brien who completed a four-timer, and Moore a treble when Ferretti took the 7f Three-Year-Old Handicap.
Soffia, trained by Eddie Lynam, was an appropriate winner of the Listed Sole Power Sprint when landing the 5f event by one and a half lengths from British raider Final Venture.
Lynam trained multiple Group 1 winner Sold Power for Sabena and David Power and both families sponsored yesterday’s event.
Lynam said: “Like Sole Power, this filly is by Kyllachy. Declan (McDonogh) was very confident about her today and that was unlike him as he’s usually a bit negative – like me!
“He thinks she’s got quicker and that a fast five really suits her. We might look at the Ballyogan Stakes at the Curragh for her.”
Meanwhile, Youghal rider Davy Russell can add France’s biggest jump race, the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris, to his already incredible CV after he guided Carriacou to a dominant success at Auteuil on Sunday afternoon.
The Isabelle Pacault-trained Carriacou could be seen cruising under Russell and quickly settled matters to register a wide-margin success over second-place Bipolaire.
Russell, who has won the last two Grand Nationals on Tiger Roll, pointed his whip to the air to celebrate a first French Grade 1 victory.
- Brian Sheerin
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