Curragh Report: Nine years might be a relative blip in the overall career of the Rolling Stones but Sandymount Earl, the horse owned by Ronnie Wood, the guitarist with the self-styled "Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band in the World", bridged a long gap at the Curragh yesterday with a gutsy success in the Hacketts Irish Cesarewitch.
Currently on a break from touring with the Stones, Wood had not seen one of his horses win in the flesh since Flip The Switch was successful at the Curragh in 1998.
It was worth the wait, however, as Séamus Heffernan drove Sandymount Earl to a 12 to 1 victory in the €80,000 feature that had trainer Jessica Harrington overjoyed at the decision to bypass the English Cesarewitch won by Tony Martin's Leg Spinner the day before.
"It's so hard to get Ronnie here because he's always away," smiled Harrington whose best flat campaign to date could be topped off by Curtain Call in Saturday's Racing Post Trophy.
"We had been thinking of going to England but Ronnie was here so we made the most of it," added Harrington.
There was a link to Newmarket, though, as Tony Martin ran Munnings in the race, something Wood was quick to spot beforehand. "There was the choice of the English or Irish race so when I saw him here as well my knees went weak," joked the music legend.
"We've actually stopped touring for a bit so it's lovely to have a winner like this now."
Harrington is preparing Curtain Call for his first Group One task after easily winning the Group two Beresford Stakes and isn't too worried at the prospect of soft ground at Doncaster.
"I don't think he would mind soft ground too much but there's no point panicking about it now," she said. "Fran Berry will ride."
Curtain Call already figures in the Derby betting and Savethisdanceforme earned her own classic quotes after a deeply impressive nine-length success in the Lanwades Stakes that provided Heffernan with the middle leg of a 389 to 1 treble.
Aidan O'Brien's filly, fourth in the Prix Marcel Boussac at Longchamp a fortnight earlier, relished the drop in class and is as low as 20 to 1 for next year's Oaks.
"She ran a nice race in France. She's a big filly and took a while to come to herself but she's there now," reported Heffernan, who is enjoying his best ever season, highlighted by Soldier Of Fortune's Irish Derby win in July.
There were also classic quotes floating about after Jupiter Pluvius's winning debut in the first and the highly touted colt is as low as 16 to 1 for next year's 2,000 Guineas following a neck defeat of yesterday's favourite Dahindar.
"We've always thought he was a lovely colt," said O'Brien. "He worked like a good horse in the spring, which is always a good sign. But he had two hold-ups and that's why he's so late starting off. He was no more than 80 per cent fit and hopefully we will have a lot to look forward to next year."
There were some fingers burned in the juvenile auction maiden as the warm favourite, Sufad, could manage only fourth behind the Rory Cleary-ridden Yali.
Richard Fahey masterminded a successful cross-channel raid on the six-furlong handicap as Fonthill Road, a former Ayr Gold Cup winner, got the better of Mooretown Lady to provide jockey Jamie Moriarty with his first winner back in Ireland since leaving to ride in Britain.
It was just as memorable an afternoon for the Co Kerry-born apprentice Karen Kenny, who rode just the second winner of her career when the second reserve, Rockys Choice, took full advantage of getting into the Derrinstown apprentice final and beat Jaamid by two-and-a-half lengths.
The 21-year-old rider had her first winner on the same horse at Downpatrick earlier in the season and Francis Casey, representing the winning trainer, Peter Casey, said, "She's very good and is gaining confidence all the time. She waited and waited there."
Amy Parsons was the overall winner of the Derrinstown series.
Ezima continued the good form of the Jim Bolger-Kevin Manning team with a wide-margin victory in the Finale Stakes, while Mourilyan made just his second start of the season a winning one in the 10-furlong maiden.
