Listed Ballylinch Stud Irish EBF Ingabelle S.

The Irish Champions Festival began with a renewal of Leopardstown's Listed Ballylinch Stud Irish EBF Ingabelle S. which may prove better than its status in time as two class acts dominated proceedings throughout. While Ballydoyle's 13-8 favourite Content (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) did her thing by going fast in front and keeping at it, Natalia Lupini's Kitty Rose (GB) (Invincible Army {Ire}--Varnish {GB}, by Choisir {Aus}) had too many guns from over a furlong out and stretched to an impressive 2 1/2-length success under Billy Lee. In doing so, the 3-1...

Irish Champions Weekend got under way with Leopardstown's €100,000 Listed Ballylinch Stud Irish EBF Ingabelle S. over seven furlongs, for 2-year-old fillies, which went the way of Ger Lyons and Colin Keane for a second straight edition after Juddmonte's Zarinsk (GB) (Kodiac {GB}--Pavlosk, by Arch) posted a 2 1/2-length success from Library (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Zarinsk, who backed up a May 22 debut success at the Curragh with a fourth in the G2 Airlie Stud S. back there the following month, was unable to feature at the business end of...

Coolmore's once-raced Monday (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), who posted a Sept. 3 debut fourth over this seven-furlong trip at Punchestown in her only prior start, stepped forward to shed maiden status in Saturday's Listed Ballylinch Stud Irish EBF Ingabelle S. at Leopardstown. She was smartly away from an inside gate and dictated at a modest tempo along the fence after the initial strides of this black-type bow. Unflustered until scrubbed along off the home turn, the 12-1 chance refused to buckle and kept on strongly under a final-furlong drive to hold...