Moonstone heads O'Brien 1-2 in Irish Oaks

Filed on 13 Jul 2008 @ 15:34

The Aidan O'Brien-trained Moonstone (Dalakhani - Solo De Lune, by Law Society) broke her maiden on her fourth run on Sunday, landing the Group One Darley Irish Oaks over 1m 4f at the Curragh where she narrowly beat stablemate Ice Queen.

Moonstone had raced just behind the pace behind Ice Queen, but took time to find her stride in the straight as Ice Queen took the lead. Johnny Murtagh stoked up the Dalakhani filly and she ran on just in time to beat her stablemate by a short head.

Unraced as a juvenile, Moonstone was well beaten behind Lush Lashes in the Musidora at York on her second start but ran a fine race when second to Look Here in the Oaks at Epsom. She is closely related to L'Ancresse (by Dalakhani's sire Darshaan), second in the Irish Oaks in 2003, and was a 700,000 guineas Tattersalls yearling purchase.

The Group Three Anglesey Stakes for juveniles over 6f was won by David Wachman's Bushranger (Danetime - Danz Danz, by Efisio) who was ridden out to a comfortable win over the 4-5 favourite Westphalia. The win pays a compliment to Flashman's Papers, who beat Bushranger by half a length in the Windsor Castle Stakes.

Wachman had a big-race double when four-year-old Navajo Moon (Danehill - Star Begonia, by Sadler's Wells) added to hsi recent Listed Nijinsky Stakes win with victory in the Listed Kilboy Estates Stakes over 9f, where he beat Charlie Swan's Listed winner Jalmira.

Filed on 13 Jul 2008 @ 15:34