Ladies Church (12/1) beat favourite Mooneista to win Group Two Sapphire Stakes at the Curragh on Saturday; trainer Johnny Murtagh: "We're going to be brave with her now for the rest of the season"; Mr Wagyu wins Scurry Handicap
Saturday 16 July 2022 16:18, UK
Johnny Murtagh's Ladies Church picked up her first Group-level success when denying Mooneista in a thrilling finish to the Barberstown Castle Sapphire Stakes at the Curragh.
The daughter of Churchill was a beaten favourite at Royal Ascot last time, but has proven a consistent performer on the whole throughout her eight-race career, and produced a career best on her biggest assignment to date to get back to winning ways.
Always travelling well and tracking the leading pair of Last Crusader and Geocentric alongside the runner-up, it was the mount of Ben Coen and the defending champion who came to the fore, alongside eventual third Equilateral, as the race entered the business end.
Mooneista looked set to hold on for back-to-back victories in the Group Two contest, but Coen conjured up one last effort from his mount and was returned the 12/1 winner by a short head once the judge had consulted the photo.
"Ben is a top class rider and gave her a peach of a ride," said Murtagh. "We fancied her strongly in Ascot but she probably could have done with one more run before that. She wasn't ready for that quick race.
"We knew coming here today that she's a filly that shows plenty of pace. We had a hood on her before because she's keen but the pace of the race was always going to help her settle today.
"Ben delivered her to perfection. In the sprints in Ireland sometimes they go slow, even in a sprint, and this one has bags of pace and needs pace on in front of her.
"When she relaxes she's got that turn of foot at the end. It didn't work in Ascot but today was always the next stepping stone, although I know it was a big step up.
"I saw her at 25/1 this morning and there were horses much shorter in the betting that she had beaten before. I thought she had a chance but it needed to work out like this and it worked out to perfection."
Murtagh will now seek Group One targets for his charge. He added: "She's a huge filly and what she did at two is probably a bonus. She won her maiden and a Listed race.
"She was always going to be better at three. She's learning how to sprint and we're going to be brave with her now for the rest of the season. She's won a Group Two, so it's Group Ones all the way now."
John Quinn's Mr Wagyu made a successful raid on the valuable Paddy Power Scurry Handicap.
Sent off the 5-1 joint-favourite, the winner was up with the pace in the centre of the track and showed plenty of guts to repel the challenge of Charles O'Brien's Big Gossey, who had to settle for the silver medal.
Mr Wagyu was recording his second win of the season, with the versatile seven-year-old also scoring over seven furlongs at Epsom on Derby Day and this victory on his travels, which comes on the back of a respectable fourth behind Rohaan in the Wokingham Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Betfair responded to the victory by shortening Mr Wagyu to 8/1 from 14/1 for the Stewards' Cup at Goodwood, but assistant trainer Sean Quinn was thinking a bit further down the road after the race.
He said: "He's a horse that every year you get to June and he comes to himself.
"I don't know why but he's never won before June in his life. June and July seem to be his months and that was fantastic.
"We've a conundrum in September, a nice problem. He ran so well in the Ayr Gold Cup last year when he was third, but you've got the Bold Lad back here on Champions Weekend and they are only six days apart.
"I'll leave that to the lads and they can make the decision."
