Three Listed classic trials were on the card at Leopardstown yesterday and yet a £49,512 jackpot wasn't won. Aislo's 16 to 1 defeat of Risk Material and Make No Mistake in the Ballysax Stakes put paid to the punters and ultimately it's debatable what significance yesterday's races will have on the classics.
All of which doesn't matter a whit to Dermot Weld who brought his winner total for the season to an impressive 10. Idle Rich made a winning debut in the 1,000 Guineas Trial for the Curragh trainer but it was Two-Twenty-Two's smooth 2,000 Guineas Trial success that had Weld making encouraging noises about future top contests.
"We might look at the French Guineas," he said after Michael Kinane had reeled in the pace-setting Chateau Royal to force Two-Twenty-Two three and a half lengths clear on the official "soft to heavy" going. It was a perfectly satisfactory progression from the colt's Curragh win on the season's opening day and Weld's logic about a raid to France on May 10th was persuasive.
"He's very fit, handles the ground and it's very soft in France at the moment," said Weld who described Two-Twenty-Two's performance yesterday as "workmanlike". Considering Chateau Royal was nine lengths clear of the third, Two-Twenty-Two could become a Guineas contender but Weld's post race assertion that Make No Mistake was his superior at home cooled the enthusiasm somewhat.
In fairness, Make No Mistake was expected to have some problems coping with the ground but the favourite was a long seven lengths behind Risk Material who himself was short headed by Aislo. The Declan Gillespie-trained Aislo doesn't hold an Irish Derby entry but he accelerated well under 17-year-old Fran Berry and then held off Risk Material's renewed effort.
"He's a very genuine little horse but had a hard race and we'll give him a break until the Gallinule in six weeks time," said Gillespie who had insisted on the Chyrss O'Reilly-owned horse being ridden by Berry who couldn't exercise his claim.
"There were lots of advisers telling me not to put him up but Fran does nothing wrong, has a good brain and is cool," Gillespie said. It was a first Stakes win and a 14th win on the flat in total for Berry.
Idle Rich started favourite for her race which was reduced to five runners after Amravati, who was likely to have started favourite, was withdrawn because of a runny nose and Tittle Tattle refused to load. The remainder were tightly grouped turning in but it was Idle Rich who found the most to hold Kitza and Woodwin.
"Running her first time in a Guineas Trial showed we think something of her. She'll get 10 furlongs and will probably come back here for another Guineas Trial," Weld said.
Co Meath trainer Eddie Lynam described Rolo Tomasi as "the best I've had for 10 years" after the John Murtagh-ridden juvenile stormed home in the opener by four lengths. Lynam won the Group Three Park Stakes with Tantum Egro in 1988 and added: "I thought he was good and he looked it today. We'll aim him at the Goffs Challenge."
Murtagh made it a double for himself when John Oxx's Beldarian short headed Sunshine Street in the last stride in the concluding race while All The Colours outpaced Sense Of Honour in the last furlong of the nine furlong handicap to win by a length. Danny Grant, rider of the joint favourite Right Job, was given a three-day ban for careless riding after finishing fifth.
