Pierre Royal proves money well spent for Ado

Pierre Royal available at 40/1 earlier in the day and sent off at just 12/1, justified good support in the €100,000 Dubai Duty Free Derby Festival Handicap at the Curragh.

The Kingman gelding, bought for 48,000 guineas last autumn after winning a Gowran maiden for Dermot Weld, was having just his second start for Ado McGuinness and improved significantly from his previous outing this season at Limerick.

The lightly raced four-year-old travelled well to challenge Booyea over a furlong out and Adam Caffrey didn’t need to get serious as he got on top in the closing stages to beat that rival by a length and a quarter. Playin Cool finished a further three lengths back in third.

McGuinness said, “Barry Potts was with me when we bought him. We liked him, he was very lightly raced and had a nice profile. We thought there was a good bit of improvement in him.

“He cost 48,000 and he was well bought as usually those horses are making treble that. They are not easy bought.

“He looked a nice model, and we’ve been lucky out of Mr Weld’s before. It was nice to get another one. He’s a big horse and he needed a bit of time.

“We love Ballybrit so I’d say that will be our next port of call. Then Champions Weekend and then we might have to get our suncream!”

Caffrey said, “We thought he was a nice calibre of horse, and he was a great purchase.

“He’s taken a nice step forward from his last race and I think he’ll take a step forward from today too.

“They went a good gallop today which suited and he settled. We were going to ride him to give him a chance to come home and he really has finished off the race well.”

Quotes by Gary Carson