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Layfayette makes it 3 from 3 this term in the Mooresbridge

Layfayette (right) and Chris HayesLayfayette (right) and Chris Hayes
© Photo Healy Racing

Layfayette continued his march up the ranks and completed a hat-trick this season when taking the featured Coolmore Sottsass Irish EBF Mooresbridge Stakes at the Curragh this afternoon.

The Noel Meade-trained gelding was gaining his seventh career success having landed the Lincoln here last year and also gained a Group 3 success at the Curragh last month in the Alleged Stakes.

The progressive five-year-old was sent off a 3/1 chance against six rivals in this Group 2 ten-furlong event with Chris Hayes taking over in the saddle from the sidelined Oisin Orr.

He travelled well on the outer entering the straight and after taking it up about a furlong from home, kept on well to beat Bear Story by three-quarters-of-a-length. Visualisation was a further length away in third.

Meade said, “He’s not in the Tattersalls Gold Cup but we’ll have to think about supplementing him for it now. He certainly deserves a place in it.

“He’s in the Hardwicke and that is a possibility. He’s improving all the time and he was very good.

“As Chris said he nearly got there too soon. He’s beaten the same horses again but has beaten them better and I thought he travelled better today.

“We still think a mile and a half wouldn’t be a problem. I feel sorry for Oisin (Orr) because he won on him twice this year but Chris won the Lincoln and a Listed race last year and knows him well too.

“It would be an expensive call to put him in it (Tattersalls Gold Cup) but we’ll decide closer to the time.”

About Alan Magee
Alan has worked in the racing industry for well over 30 years including with the Sporting Life, Turform and Irish Racing Services. He took up his current role as Irish Racing Team Leader with the Press Association in 2013. He has a keen interest in most sports and plays golf.