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Life's a Beach for record-breaking O'Brien

Beach Of Falesa and Joseph O'Brien return to the winners enclosureBeach Of Falesa and Joseph O'Brien return to the winners enclosure
© Photo Healy Racing

Joseph O’Brien moved onto the 125 winner mark in his record-breaking season when producing Beach Of Falesa with a well-timed challenge to take the featured Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Handicap.

The top-weight was certainly the class act here, and the presence of the 93-rated filly meant four of the nine runners had to race from out of the handicap proper.

O’Brien settled the four-year-old, owned by his mother Anne Marie and trained by his father Aidan, in rear and made steady progress between horses in the straight.

The 7/1 chance swept to the front over a furlong out, and kept on really well to beat the well-backed 100/30 favourite Sli Na Fiarana by nearly five lengths. Sheilas Wish (9/2) was another half a length adrift in third.

Joseph O’Brien said, “She’s a difficult ride as she can be a bit keen. She relaxed really well today, and when things go right for her she’s a good mare on her day. Hopefully we might get her placed in a stakes race.”

Additional reporting by Gary Carson

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.