Falcon Eight and Chris Hayes win the Comer Group International Loughbrown Stakes Group 3 © Photo Healy Racing
The Dermot Weld trained Falcon Eight recorded the biggest win of his career to date when staying on strongly to land the Group 3 Comer Group International Loughbrown Stakes at the Curragh.
Runner-up under a big weight in a strong renewal of the Irish Cesarewitch at the same track last month, the veteran eight-year-old travelled well just off the pace before moving closer to challenge long time leader Final Gesture two furlongs out.
Once Chris Hayes asked the Galileo gelding to go and win his race, he found plenty for pressure, galloping clear inside the final furlong to win readily by six-and-a-half lengths. Echoes In Rain sent off 2-1f, stayed on best of the rest to take second place, with Jesse Evans third.
Dermot Weld said: “He’s as tough as teak and is unlucky not to win the last two runnings of the Irish Cesarewitch, so he deserved a nice win here.
“He’s been a great dual-purpose servant and his full-sister Search For A Song won this race two years ago.
“It’s a possibility that he might go over hurdles at Leopardstown at Christmas or he might go to Dubai for the two-mile race.
“He has stacks of enthusiasm but he is a character.”
Additional reporting by Alan Magee.
