Madam Celeste shows battling qualities to win Listed prize The Ger Lyons trained Madam Celeste showed plenty of determination to get back up close home to win the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Victor McCalmont Memorial Stakes (Fillies & Mares) at Gowran Park. A Dundalk winner on her racecourse debut in November 2023, the daughter of Galileo was 0-4 on turf coming into this race. Prominent from stalls, Colin Keane tracked Elegant Madame on the 8/1 chance, before taking over with two-furlongs to race. Jancis came through to lead over a furlong out but Madam Celeste rallied well to regain the lead inside the last 100 yards to record a well earned half-length success. Ger Lyons said: “We were stretching her over a longer trip. I know she gets it, but she also had the pace to win over a mile. “We had her placed black type before and now she’s a winner black type so she’s a nice addition to Maurice(Regan)’s farm. “That’s very, very important and I’m delighted for Maurice - a Galileo filly. “She would finish second to the yard cat at home, but I’ve never had prizemoney at home. She saves it for here. “She’d show you nothing at home and would have you bamboozled.” Additional reporting by Alan Magee.
