Joseph O'Brien never got a shot at classic success as the Words beat only one home in Saturday's Oaks but the former champion jockey pounced decisively on Wedding Vow to land the Curragh's Group Two feature yesterday.
Unsuccessful in five previous starts, Wedding Vow looked transformed by a drop in trip for the nine furlong Kilboy Estate Stakes and broke her maiden by two lengths over the favourite, Brooch.
“She was too keen in Ascot over a mile and a half (Ribblesdale Stakes) with the blinkers on,” said the winning jockey. “Back in trip today she settled. There wasn’t much pace on and in fairness to her she quickened up really good. We could think about races in America for her or the Matron or something like that.”
If victory was valuable in terms of Wedding Vow’s stud value, it was also a landmark for Aidan O’Brien, winning the Kilboy for the first time but who now must wait until 2016’s Brownstown Stakes to attempt a remarkable clean-sweep of Ireland’s 66 Group races.
The Brownstown is run at Fairyhouse in early-July but the Curragh’s feature events have been mopped up by the champion trainer over almost two decades, notably with 11 victories in the Derby and ten in the 2,000 Guineas.
Dramatic turn
Ground conditions take a dramatic turn towards testing at Ballinrobe and that could be just what the topweight Get Out Of Jail requires to get back to winning ways in the apprentice handicap.
Robbie Downey’s mount failed to fire on his last start at Tipperary but prior that won impressively at a big price on heavy going at Gowran.
Get Out Of Jail is set to get such conditions again here and a read of that Gowran defeat of Hurricane Sky reads well weight-wise given that one of his main opponents, High Kicker, in foal to Famous Name, beat Hurricane Sky at Leopardstown recently.
Very soft ground could also be to the advantage of John Oxx's Godolphin runner Papagayo in the last of the handicaps while Shes No Joke, unlucky in running on her last visit to Balinrobe, can emerge best in the nine furlong handicap.
David Wachman, out of luck with Curvy in Saturday's Oaks can make the cut in the nine furlong maiden with Swordfight.
