Bloomfield and Billy Lee© Photo Healy Racing
Very demanding might be one description of conditions at Cork but it'll hardly bother Billy Lee too much as he fired in the opening couple of winners. Odds-on Bloomfield completed his brace in the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Noblesse Stakes for the fillies.
Expected won the first for Lee, and trainer Paddy Twomey, by twenty one lengths.
Willie McCreery 's Bloomfield had to work harder but in the end she still had four and a quarter lengths to spare over Glamorous Approach
"It's grand to win and she is as honest a filly as you can get. My only concern was about her fitness-wise but she is very honest and she tries very hard but how can you judge after that (testing ground conditions)?" reflected McCreery.
"I have her in next week (Vintage Crop Stakes at Navan) and I'd say she'll stay the 1m6f but I don't think running her is the right thing to do. I wanted to see if she was a Cup filly because she does settle so well and all she does is gallop.
"I was looking at next week but she has had too hard a race there and tried her heart out. Billy said she waddled when he pulled her up but that was purely due to the ground.
"There are plenty of options both here and abroad and she is very very well bred so we'll try and find a Group 3 with her. She is the first filly Johnny Connaughton sent to me and I'm delighted to have her."
C.P. Hoban, rider of Cinnabar Reds trained by John Gerard Fitzgerald, reported to the Clerk of Scales that his mount never travelled on the ground.
(TW & EM)
