The opening day of the Irish flat season commenced on Sunday as Ribee notched up a hat-trick in the feature. The Ribchester gelding was relatively exposed as a 0-8 raced-maiden, but since the application of a tongue-tie, his form figures now read 133111.
Despite arriving on a hat-trick, he was relatively un-fancied in the market. However once striking the front a furlong out, he kicked four lengths clear and won cosily despite hanging last on.
Speaking to Racing TV afterwards, trainer Michael Mulvany said: “in those conditions he’s a hard horse to beat” as he stretched clear through the mud.
“This has been the plan since last back-end and the Lincoln was always the goal. I’m delighted for the owner. He’s an owner/breeder and this is the first horse he bred so he had to keep him! He’s been lucky for him.
“I won the race before with On The Go Again (2018) and we knew this fellow would take a lot of beating. We booked Declan McDonagh as Gary Carroll couldn’t do the weight on him. I feel sorry for Wesley Joyce who is the stable jockey. But the owner wanted a senior lad on him so we went with Declan.
“He was travelling all the way and I was just a little worried that he had hit the front a bit early, but we knew he’d get the trip well. He’s a grand big horse and that’s what you want for those conditions out there.
“We’ll probably have to go again shortly. I said today we’d see how we were and after that we’ll worry about the next day” concluded Mulvany.
Amo Racing denied a four-timer in Curragh opener
Elsewhere at the Curragh, Amo Racing were denied a fourth consecutive success in the opener. Bucanero Fuerte, Arizona Blaze and Power Blue – all of whom subsequently won Grade 1’s – have won the opening Maiden in recent years when trained under the licensee name of Adrian Murray, but Robson De Aguiar failed to back that up.
Territories colt Ruler’s Control, who hails from a talented Juddmonte dam-line, landed the spoils for Jack Foley. Sent off the favourite, Persian Force colt Force Noir just failed to reel in the eventual winner. The pair pulled nicely clear of the Amo-trained Bull Shark in third.
Electric Beauty took the curtain-closing contest, making it a memorable double on the day for the Irish Lincoln winning trainer Michael Mulvany.