Ger Lyons

   There have been a lot of football analogies in racing this week. Most have centered around a hypothetical situation whereby the Kevin De Bruynes or the Erling Haalands of this world were leaving the Premier League for sunnier-and more lucrative pay packets-in foreign leagues.     For all the Manchester City fans out there, you can relax, as the analogy was simply fictional. However, there is nothing fictional about the mass exodus of talent facing British and Irish racing.    Ger Lyons is better qualified than most to speak about...

There's an old proverb that reads, 'All the flowers of the tomorrows are in the seeds of today,' which came to mind when Apricot Twist (Ire) (Expert Eye {GB}) ran out a comfortable winner of the opening six-furlong maiden at Naas on Wednesday.  In the case of Apricot Twist, who earned herself a TDN Rising Star in pulling over seven lengths clear of her rivals on debut, those seeds were set a long time ago by Rory Mathews at Barouche Stud Ireland.  Apricot Twist is named after the notoriously sweet-scented...

Sent off the 11-8 favourite for Wednesday's Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden at Naas, Juddmonte's Apricot Twist (Ire) (Expert Eye {GB}) more than justified that SP to join the TDN Rising Star ranks. The first by her first-season sire (by Acclamation {GB}), the Ger Lyons-trained homebred tracked the pace far side under Colin Keane in the near-six-furlong contest before being allowed to stride to the front over two furlongs from home. Clear soon after, the daughter of the Listed Ruby S. scorer Erysimum (Ire) (Arcano {Ire}) was eased down late...

When you have a limited number of bullets to fire, you can't expect to hit the target too often, let alone on Irish Oaks day at the Curragh, but Ronan Fitzpatrick, racing manager to Mark Dobbin, sensed something special was in the offing on Saturday. So much so, Fitzpatrick, full sure that either Cairde Go Deo (Fr) (Camelot {GB}) or Ladies Church (GB) (Churchill {Ire}) were going to do something special this weekend, had worked himself into a tizzy about doing a post-race interview with RTE's Brian Gleeson. He needn't...

Disappointing when only fifth trying a mile in The Curragh's Listed Tetrarch S. May 2, Peter Brant's TDN Rising Star Dr Zempf (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) was back in his comfort zone in Thursday's G3 Ballycorus S. as he successfully returned to the seven-furlong trip and Leopardstown venue of his Apr. 2 Listed 2000 Guineas Trial S. win. In front initially before handed a lead by the eventual third Pretreville (Fr) (Acclamation {GB}), the 13-8 favourite who was also runner-up in the G1 Phoenix S. in August blew by that...

"I'd love to win an English Guineas," Ger Lyons said after watching TDN Rising Star Dr Zempf (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) collect in Saturday's Listed Ballylinch Stud "Red Rocks" 2,000 Guineas Trial S. at Leopardstown. Always travelling easily in second throughout the early stages under Colin Keane, Peter Brant's G1 Phoenix S. runner-up took control two out and held off The Acropolis (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) to reward takers of 11-10 by half a length, with a length back to fellow TDN Rising Star New Energy (Ire) (New Bay {GB}) in third....

Group 3 winner Sacred Bridge (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}) will return next season in a Guineas trial. The Juddmonte homebred won four races consecutively, starting with a maiden victory at Naas on debut in June, followed by the Listed Tipperary S. on June 30, the lucrative Aug. 2 Ballyhane S. and the Aug. 27 G3 Round Tower S. Trained by Ger Lyons, she was only eighth in the G1 Cheveley Park S. at Newmarket on Sept. 25. "Nothing really came to light after Newmarket," said Barry Mahon, Juddmonte Racing Manager....

Undefeated Juddmonte homebred Straight Answer (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) has been supplemented to the Oct. 9 Darley Dewhurst S. at Newmarket. His addition brings the potential field to 12, after winning at The Curragh when unveiled on Aug. 21 and the Listed Ballyhane Blenheim S. at Fairyhouse on Sept. 20. The Ger Lyons-trained colt will possibly face G1 Goffs Vincent O'Brien National S. hero Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) for the Charlie Appleby/Godolphin axis, and Sunday's G1 Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere one-two Angel Bleu (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Noble...

Ger Lyons and Colin Keane are the men of the moment in Ireland at present and the combination were in clover again on Monday as TDN Rising Star Straight Answer (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) recorded an impressive success in Fairyhouse's Listed Ballyhane Blenheim S. Handling soft ground with aplomb on his debut over this six-furlong trip at The Curragh Aug. 21, Juddmonte's homebred led at every step on this good-to-firm going en route to a 5 1/2-length success from Glengarra (Ire) (Profitable {Ire}) as the 2-1 favourite. "He's a work in progress,"...

It's a childish game but I've long amused myself by seeing how many song titles can be weaved into headlines and this weekend's results provided an open goal for a Neil Young classic, not once but twice.  Two hurricanes blew across Town Moor on Saturday at the opposite ends of the distance spectrum. Hurricane Ivor (Ire) (Ivawood {GB}) is an admirable sprinter who has bounced back from a blistering debut for Fabrice Chappet and subsequent illness that ruled him out of much of his juvenile season. He has been creeping...

Fresh from winning the opening Listed Ingabelle S. on Saturday, Ger Lyons and Colin Keane combined to enjoy the perfect start to Leopardstown's Irish Champions Day when following up in the G2 KPMG Champions Juvenile S. with Atomic Jones (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}). Owned by Sean Jones, David Spratt and Lynne Lyons, the bay who had won on his sole start in a seven-furlong maiden at The Curragh June 27 was restrained early from his low draw to race with two behind. Switched outside with three furlongs remaining, the 10-1...

Friday's G3 Round Tower S. heroine Sacred Bridge (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}), who races in the colours of breeder Juddmonte, is a possible starter in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, as long as her European campaign concludes in satisfactory fashion, trainer Ger Lyons revealed to the Nick Luck Daily Podcast. The four-for-four bay's next target is the G1 Cheveley Park S. on Sept. 25. Lyons, who saddled his 1,000th winner on Monday, told the Nick Luck Daily Podcast, "The little filly gave me a 'wow' feeling on Friday--it...