Swashbuckling success for Edward Thatch Amo Racing’s Edward Thatch (1/1f) scored smartly for trainer Robson De Aguiar and jockey Donagh O’Connor in Cork’s opening Irish EBF Auction Series Maiden today, setting himself up for a potential tilt at Royal Ascot in June. By stallion ‘Blackbeard’, a 17th century pirate whose real name was indeed Edward Thatch, the bay colt had set sail for home too early when finishing third on Curragh-debut in April but today was ridden with more restraint, and scored easily by 5.5 lengths from Hanney Boy . Edward Thatch picked up a €50,000 Goffs Orby Book 1 Bonus for today’s success and afterwards De Aguiar, whose wife Giselle is part-owner, reported “he is a nice horse and we think a lot of him. “The first day (at the Curragh) he went fast but today he settled well and kept it simple. He won comfortably in the end. “I think he could be a seven-furlong or mile-type in the end and I’m very happy with everything he has done today, including his attitude. Hopefully he will improve and we have a nice horse. “I think he will run next in the Marble Hill Stakes (Curragh over six furlongs, late-May) and then we will think about the Coventry at Royal Ascot. He got away with five furlongs today being on slower ground but on faster ground, it will have to be six for him. He is a big two-year-old and I’m happy with his attitude.”
