John O'Donoghue's juveniles doing him proud Curragh trainer John O’Donoghue had a two-year-old for Amo Racing run a blinder on debut the Curragh yesterday when chasing home a Ballyoyle odds-on shot, and saddled a winner for Ballylinch Stud in the opener at Killarney today as Coastal Wonder did the business in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden under Rory Mulligan. The hugely successful Thomastown farm is joined in owning the winner by messrs C Fahy, I Allan and other partners. The one-mile contest was restricted to those that had run at least twice and were rated 75 or less, and the Bayside Boy filly, mid-field at Naas last month, was well backed from 10s in places this morning into 3/1 joint-favourite at the off. Having tracked the leaders on the rail, she was switched out for a clear run over two furlongs out and led a furlong out to account for Epic Arch by a length and a quarter. "She is a May foal and I probably started her a bit soon," said O’Donoghue who led up his sixth winner of the campaign. “We can put a line through her first run as education and got a nice marker on her in her last run, and she has now won. "She will stay further next year, which is a big positive, and she is probably finished for the season now." Additional reporting by Tom Weekes
