Christmas Day gift for Ballydoyle followers After Ice Day in the opener, Aidan O'Brien, Wayne Lordan and the Coolmore partners quickly doubled up at Gowran with Christmas Day (6/4 fav) in the Irish EBF (C&G) Maiden (Smullen Series). Lordan, also successful for Ballydoyle in the finale at Dundalk on Friday evening, soon had the Camelot colt in second place as Hedjet made the running. Nothing else was able to land a blow in the straight and, although the front-runner proved resolute, Christmas Day edged ahead in the closing stages to score by half a length.  Stable representative Chris Armstrong said:- “He obviously had a lovely run the first day (third at Galway) but things just didn’t go right for him in a good maiden at Tipperary.  “It’s nice to get him back and get his head in front. Wayne said when he hit the line there was plenty in there. It’s a great sign, going forward for next year.  “He’ll be a middle-distance horse. It’s great to have three runs into him now, the groundwork is done for next year.  “We’ll see if we’ll try him in stakes company before the end of the year. He’ll be a lovely horse over a mile-and-a-quarter or a mile-and-a-half next year. “Once he fills his frame he’ll be a big, strong,imposing three-year-old.”   Additional reporting by Gary Carson
