Ireland: Gallant Mans Fine Derby Performance Gives Homeland Breeders Great Boost, Daily Racing Form, 1957-05-11

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r— r 1 Ireland Gallant Mans Fine Derby Performance Gives Homeland Breeders Great Boost By MICHAEL OHEHIR — Our Dublin Correspondent DUBLIN, Ireland. — This has been a busy time for Irish racing folk in their various interests between the thrills of jumping the banks and fences at Punchestown, the Irish-bred Rose Royale II. winning the English 1,000 Guineas and of course the great effort of Gallant Man to give us our greatest ever boost in the world of American racing. Those of us with an interest in American racing waited anxiously for the ticker tapes in our offices to flash across the Atlantic the result of the great race at Churchill Downs and the wonderful effort of Gallant Man was pleasing indeed. It was by mere inches that this Irish-bred colt failed to win the most coveted prize in America, yet in doing so was also making history for he was only the second imported horse in history to figure in the first three in the "Run for the Roses." Bill Corum, correct me if Im wrong. Back in 1917 Omar Khayyam, bred by Sir John Robinson of England won the race and he alone has ever shared in the prize money as an imported horse until the Aga Khan-bred Gallant Man lived up to his name behind Iron Liege. The winner, of course, had an interest I for us, too, for is he not by Bull Lea, the I sire of that other Kentucky Derby winner, j Hill Gail, who is now standing at stud at I J. McGraths world-famous Brownstown | Stud. Gallant Man is Aga Khan-bred through and through. By Migoli out of Majideh, a ! mare who won the Irish Oaks of her year, he first saw the light at Sheshoon Stud. J She is now in America and is of course by Mahmoud. It is unnecessary in this department to go into the colts subsequent history as this has been done so fully by on j the spot writers in the last week, but we in Ireland are pleased indeed to have shared so prominently in a fine performance by a good horse who may have lost the race by inches but shared in the glory of the day. AAA Rex Ellsworth no doubt was pleased too as one of the 41 mares he bought from the Aga Khan last year was named Malekeh and is by Stardust out of Majideh, the dam of Gallant Man and another was Donya, by Dante out of the same mare. Yet another of these mares was Rose of Yeroda whose daughter Rose Royale II. last week won the 1.000 Guineas at Newmarket giving the Aga Khan, his experienced rider Charlie Smirke and his successful young French trainer Alec Head their first win in the race. This winner is j by Prince Bio and the mare was visiting him again from her Sheshoon County Kil-dare base when Rose Royale II. was foaled in Fiance. She was sent back to Ireland where the foal was reared to her present excellence until time for training with that brilliant conditioner Alec Head. The runner-up was the American-bred Sensualita, owned by the Aly Khan he owns half the winner too and it is of considerable interest to us that she is to run in the Irish 1,000 Guineas on May 30, so we may have the first ever American-bred winner of that race. At Saratoga Sales Laudy Lawrence, acting for Aly Khan bought this daughter of I Polynesian and Peace of Mind from Alma-hurst Farm for 1,000 and she has proved very useful indeed. She ran a fine race and seemed a danger to the winner until close home. The Irish-bred and trained Angelet from the Paddy Prendergast stable was third after looking like trotting in. She ran very freely and after six of the eight furlongs was moving so smoothly under restraint up front that we asked ourselves "how far will she win." However when young Edward Hide let her down she produced nothing and could not master the finish of her two betters. She ran a fine race and was not disgraced by any means. Her defeat could be attributed to any one of three things, or a combination : 1 the very hard ground was against her, 2 she had not had a race this season until the 1.000 Guineas, 3 she lacks the ability to quicken under pressure. Time alone can answer the problem. Our other runner Silken Glider from Seamus McGraths stable ran a good fifth. She was drawn on the outside of the field and had to race on her own for a long way. Even so she was always in touch with the leaders and failed to maintain the position only in the last furlong. Connections were delighted with her run but disappointed that her far superior stablemate Kattys Star had injured herself slightly and was unable to run. She is many lengths better than Silken Glider by Airborne — Silken Slipper, a fact that would have had her very much in the fighting line. The 2,000 Guineas was a sad race for this stable. The delightful looking Chevastrid half brother by Prince Chevalier to Pana-slipper was in the wars at the start. The French horse Prophet was unruly as they walked up to the tapes, reared up and in doing so unseated the riders of Chevastrid and of Frenchman Tyrone. Chevastrid broke loose and bolted, so taking no part in the race. The stewards incidentally inquired into the whole affair and while the findings are not known at the moment we understand that Prophet is held responsible for the debacle. The other McGrath horse Brendan was slowly away and was last, though let me hasten to add that he was not at any stage thought of as a possible winner. It was a great pity that Chevastrid did not have a run as his showing would have given us a yardstick by which to judge the relative merits of Irish, British and French three-year-old colts. At Phoenix Park last Saturday Eleonora Seals h£td her colors carried to victory by London Scottish by Royal Charger — Zeylan over a mile. He came from behind to outstay and outspeed Disco Volante who is no slouch in any mans league. The winner had been successful last year at two and this was his first run at three. We understand that the Charlie* Rogers stable is pleased with the win as there are others Continued on Page Twenty-Nine Report From Ireland By MICHAEL OHEHIR Continued from Page tight . in the same string thought to be much his superior. The big jumping meeting at Punches-town, where the horses jump bush fences, a stone wall and many Irish banks single and double was a huge success in ideal weather. Award for pluck of the meeting goes to a nine-year-old Enfield. His rider Willie Robinson found him slightly lame three fences from home but on seeing his leaders begin to fail decided to let him go on. On reaching the straight he got "on to" his good side and began to quicken in great style and eventually got up to win a two and one-half mile chase. It was discovered] that he had broken down/


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