Lyons lands another Ingabelle via Maire Rua Ger Lyons enhanced his fine record in the Listed Ingabelle Stakes through Maire Rua who obliged under Colin Keane on his birthday. Lyons, who had annexed three of the last five renewals of this race that gets Irish Champions Festival under way at Leopardstown, supplied this 5/2 second favourite who won her maiden over an extended seven-furlongs on debut at this track before taking third in a Listed race at Cork. Timeless Tale, the 2/1 favourite, got first run for Billy Lee and was sent into the lead approaching the final furlong but Keane was eager to follow them through and was ideally positioned in third at the furlong pole. Timeless Tale soon set sail for glory, however, grey Frankel filly Maire Rua was full of running and improved to second in the final 100 yards before cutting down the leader close home to strike by half a length for Juddmonte. The gambled-on Snowing (morning price of 66/1 down to an SP of 11/1 was a length and a half behind Timeless Tale in third. Winning trainer Ger Lyons said: “It was no more than we’d expect her to do. “I didn’t see what Colin felt at Cork. I was very disappointed walking out of the stands on my own and said to myself ‘you got another one wrong Ger’. “Colin said no, that she was murdered. More to the point, he wanted me to re-do the stalls when she came home as she was that badly affected. “That’s more like I know I’ve been seeing. “The ideal thing is to go Listed, Group 3, 2 and then 1 and see where the ceiling is. “She needs experience, so I definitely want to find something else between now and the end of the season. I’d love to go Group 3 now rather than diving into a Fillies' Mile or something. “I’d like to have one more run before I put her away with a view to next year. “I said it before that I don’t worry about the stalls with Colin, I never have done. Would I have liked to have been a bit closer to the rail? Of course I would, but it doesn’t tend to happen here.” When asked if he thought early on that she was his best two-year-old filly he added: “Yeah, but it doesn’t mean a whole pile. She could rock out at being a Listed winner. “The secret to training winners is sourcing winners. If you can source the best horses you’ll win the best races. “I can’t source the best horses, I’m lucky enough to have Juddmonte and Newtown Anner, but Aidan (O’Brien) has Coolmore. He has access to the best horses on the planet. When they don’t get access, they go into Doncaster and buy the best filly on the planet. They are bloody good at what they do. “I’m not good at sourcing horses, by the way. They are very good at it. “I don’t know how many trainers there are in the country, but every one of them could train that filly but I’m lucky enough to get her. “I love being in Ireland and winning races in Ireland but it’s not getting easier. “I’m hoping to break a million this year, I think 80,000 today breaks a million which is phenomenal. “I have a championship, or probably first division squad, at home playing in the premiership. I can’t tell you how ordinary they are. “To be doing what we are doing, hats off to my staff.” Paddy Power gave Maire Rua a first show of 33/1 for the 1,000 Guineas, and cut her from 12/1 to 10/1 for the Fillies' Mile. Additional reporting by Gary Carson
