TDN RISING STARS

July 22, 2023 - CURRAGH, Msw, EUR €20,000, 7.0F, .0000

Henry Longfellow (Ire), C, 2, 2021 by Dubawi (Ire)

1st Dam: Minding (Ire), by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Lillie Langtry (Ire), by Danehill Dancer (Ire)
3rd Dam: Hoity Toity (GB), by Darshaan (GB)

Owner: Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Mrs John Magnier
Breeder: Coolmore (IRE)
Trainer: Aidan O'Brien

Aidan O'Brien had annexed six of the last 10 renewals of the Curragh's Juddmonte Irish EBF Maiden, among them 2013 winner Australia (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), and he claimed Saturday's latest edition with Henry Longfellow (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who collected a 'TDN Rising Star' rosette with a taking performance in the seven-furlong test.

The eventual winner was steadily away and raced in a close-up third initially and eased into second approaching halfway. Hitting the front soon after passing the quarter-mile marker, the well-backed 5-4 favourite was never seriously threatened thereafter and kept on powerfully under mild coaxing inside the final furlong to easily outpoint G2 Railway S. fifth Mythology (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) by 1 3/4 lengths.

"He's an exciting type of horse and I'm delighted with him," the winning trainer said. "He's a Dubawi out of Minding and he looks a lovely horse. Minding handled that [soft] ground and he does bend his knee a bit, but he quickens. Ryan [Moore] said it was very easy, he didn't touch him with the stick and was very happy with him. He had been working well and he just came on the scene lately. For the last three weeks, week after week, he was working well."