2026 is certainly Meriden's year The teak-tough Meriden (9/4jf) brought up her sixth victory this year in the Listed Edmund & Josie Whelan Memorial Listowel Stakes over a mile. Denis Hogan's charge has been on the go since March and memorably put together a five-timer between May and July (in Listed class at Killarney). The three-year-old Bated Breath filly was last seen finishing seventh in the Group One Matron Stakes at Leopardstown over Irish Champions Weekend. Chris Hayes was keen to get her into an early lead and she began to turn the screw with a furlong and a half to go. She was almost three lengths clear entering the final furlong and won snugly at the end by a length and three-quarters. Iron Fist got up for second at 15/2, three-quarters of a length ahead of 9/4 joint favourite Jagged Edge. Hogan said: "She has been busy with racing, but it was a big drop in grade. She was entitled to do that although we didn't know if we had pushed the boat out too far today by running her too much. "It was me who wanted to run as she has been so well at home, and to be fair to Patrick (O'Brien) and Paul (Shanahan), they went along with it. "Chris had a plan to be forward and to use the railing, as it is a front-runners track and she also has a tendency to lean left-handed. Once she bagged the rail, she was good and straight. "Initially, we thought she would just win at a lower level, but she has kept stepping up all season. This morning, I entered her for a Group 3 at Saint-Cloud in October, so has that entry and an entry in a mares' sale at the end of December. We don't want to lose her, but if she makes money for her connections, that's good business." Additional reporting by Tom Weekes
