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Michael Graham

Michael Graham

O'Brien and Moore hit treble with The Black Tiger

Fri 30th Jun 2023, 20:50

The Black Tiger, left, sees off SaturnThe Black Tiger, left, sees off Saturn
© Photo Healy Racing

The Black Tiger (11/2) hadn't really threatened in three previous outings, but it was a different story this evening as he took the concluding Hartes Group Irish EBF Maiden for Aidan O'Brien.

This was the third year in a row that O'Brien had won this race and The Black Tiger gave the trainer and Ryan Moore a treble on the card following earlier successes for Mountain Bear (4/1) and Ylang Ylang (8/13f).

The Black Tiger raced in second behind Tasayad and Moore sent him on racing into the final two furlongs. The new leader wasn't home yet, though, as the regally-bred newcomer Saturn moved into a threatening position in the final furlong.

Try as Saturn did to get on terms, he couldn't reel in The Black Tiger who hit the line with half a length in hand. The runner-up went off an easy-to-back 8/1. Kadeen was two and three-quarter lengths away in third at 7/1.

Stable representative Chris Armstrong said: “Ryan gave him a lovely ride. He's a horse that is a bit of a slow learner, it just took a run or two for the penny to drop.

“That's probably his trip, a mile-and-a-quarter, and the ground is probably as soft as he wants it.

“We'll just let him work through the grades, we'll go for a handicap and let him progress in his own time and see how he pans out.”

Additional reporting by Gary Carson

1st
11/2
Tote €6.50 €1.90
2nd
0.5L
8/1
€3.30
3rd
2.75L
7/1
€2.20
4th
0.75L
6/4Fav
About Michael Graham
Michael has worked in horse racing journalism for more than 15 years, having also written a weekly betting column on Gaelic football and hurling for a newspaper. He is involved in writing the My Racing Story features on this website. He spent a year in South Africa completing a Diploma in Business Administration and also studied Newspaper Journalism in Belfast. He enjoys playing 5-a-side football on a regular basis.