NEW REVIEW
Celbridge-born Newmarket trainer Eoghan O'Neill (30) recorded his 1st success in Ireland when he saddled Red Rioja to land the G3 C.L.Weld Park Stakes.
Partnered by Fran Berry and owned by Southampton surgeon Dr Karen Sanderson, the 9/1 shot swept past Easy Sunshine inside the final furlong pole and then shrugged off Lady Digby close home to land the spoils.
Market leader Minatonic (6/4-7/4f), representing the John Oxx/John Murtagh alliance, trailed in last of the 13-runner field.
'Kieren Fallon got off her after she won at Kempton and said you can take her anywhere you want,' said Eoghan O'Neill, who spent several years as assistant to Sir Mark Prescott before taking out his own training licence last season.
'She'll run in the Rocfel Stakes at Newmarket next and hopefully head for a valuable race in California afterwards,' he added.
David Hanley, who is set to move later this year to commence a new venture training in Kentucky, USA, saddled newcomer Marannatha to made a winning bow under Jerry O'Dwyer in 7f maiden.
'She's a big filly with a nice pedigree and it's undecided whether she will come over to the States,' said Hanley, who also revealed that both Coney Kitty and Specious will both run at the Keenland meeting this month.
Aidan O'Brien can do little wrong these days and he supplied another juvenile winner in the shape of easy-to-back newcomer Sahara Desert (6/4-3/1jf), who held the persistent challenge of Calamella by a neck in the 6f maiden.
'He had some niggly little problems early on which held him up and he missed a lot of work. I'll probably leave him off for the season but he will be a good horse next year,' said O'Brien of the son of Green Desert.
Favourite backers finished the session on a winning note in the Diamond Stakes when Jammaal (4/6-4/7f) stayed on gamely in the closing stages to hold off Chamela Bay and Affianced in a blanket finish.
John Murtagh suffered a horror fall when his mount True Crystal clipped heels and shot him out of the saddle.
He lay on the ground for several minutes before he was later taken to Naas Hospital with a nasty gash to his right-leg and will now miss several rides at Longchamp in Paris tomorrow.
Earlier, Beaver Lodger, a rare John Murtagh ride for Kevin Prendergast obliged at odds of 16/1 in the 7f handicap while 12/1 shot Tentpole, with Niall McCullagh putting up one pound over, romped home for the John Oxx team in the 1m 6f handicap.
In what looked a very tricky card for punters beforehand it came as no surprise when the jackpot pool of #10,000 was not won.
