One Voice should prove tough to beat in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Salsabil Stakes, one of two listed events on today’s eight-race card in Navan.
Representing the formidable combination of Shane Foley and Jessica Harrington, in spectacular form at Naas on Monday, the daughter of Poet’s Voice hasn’t been seen since landing her maiden at Leopardstown last July but, from such an in-form yard, makes plenty of appeal.
One Voice triumphed at Leopardstown on her third start, having been outpointed by One Last Look on her previous outing at the Foxrock track.
In victory, she dictated the pace and quickened to go clear early in the straight before scoring, eased down by Shane Foley to triumph by three lengths from one of today’s rivals Auxilia.
The runner-up went on to win a Naas maiden by five lengths and ended her juvenile campaign with a creditable, close third to Irish Guineas hope Fancy Blue in a listed event at the Curragh.
The Ger Lyons-trained Auxilia has an official mark of 100, so must be respected. But stable-jockey Colin Keane has opted to partner her
stable-companion Yaxeni, narrow winner of an August Cork maiden on her only start. And that riding arrangement is particularly notable.
But I’ll rely on One Voice to spark what might prove a listed-race double for Harrington and Foley, who will be associated with Ancient Spirit in the later Heritage Stakes.
A three-time winner in Germany before joining Jim Bolger, this fellow was having his first outing for Harrington when, having made the running, he went down by a head to Ballydoyle colt Mount Everest in the Trigo at Leopardstown in October.
Since then, Mount Everest has raced in Santa Anita, Hong Kong and Riyadh. He’s rated 113, which leaves him alongside Ken Condon’s Trais Fluors (finished well behind the O’Brien colt in Riyadh) on figures here and has obvious claims.
But Ancient Spirit is meeting Mount Everest on 7lb better terms than at Leopardstown and, on that basis, he gets the vote in a tough race.
Aidan O’Brien’s Snowfall (by Deep Impact) and Chief Little Hawk, from the first crop of Air Force Blue, are unimaginative choices in the
two-year-old maidens.
And the Fozzy Stack-trained You’resobeautiful, which bumped into Dark Vader on her debut at Dundalk in March, is napped to land the Irish Stallion Farms Maiden, from stall one, under Chris Hayes.
Peter O’Hehir's tips for Navan
1.00.Snowfall
1.30.Early Call
2.00.Plough Boy
2.30.Chief Little Hawk
3.00.You’res obeautiful (Nap)
3.30.One Voice
4.00.Ancient Spirit
4.30.Golden Valour
