Bold Discovery sparkles in Amethyst win

Bold Discovery reached new heights with success in the Porsche In Support Of Breast Cancer Ireland Amethyst Stakes at Leopardstown.

The four-year-old had Listed form from the Celebration Stakes on his CV from last season but was unplaced at the latter half of the campaign when upped in class.

Having addressed some physical issues and gelded the horse, trainer Jessica Harrington sent him to start his campaign at Group Three level over a mile at Leopardstown.

Under Shane Foley, he was a 5-1 chance and rewarded the effort put into him over the winter to claim a half-length victory and book his ticket for Royal Ascot.

“We’re delighted with that, he’s a horse that’s always promised an awful lot and we’ve held him in very high regard,” said Kate Harrington, assistant trainer to her mother.

“He had an allergy issue last year, it turned out he was allergic to grass.

“When he got his good to firm ground in the Curragh he was very good. We went hunting a bit afterwards with him but we never got our ground.

“Fair play to Marc (Chan, owner) and Jamie McCalmont as they said ‘why don’t we geld him?’ and we actually did a kissing spine operation on him as well.

“He was only just ready to start there today and I think we should have a really exciting season ahead with him.

“We’ll go to Royal Ascot next with him for the Wolferton Stakes. We didn’t put him in the Queen Anne.

“I wasn’t too bothered if we did finish second today as then he wouldn’t have had a penalty for Ascot but now he will!”

Foley added: “He’s a horse who always runs well fresh. The race fell apart a little bit with the non-runners, but it was still a Group Three and a lovely race to win.

“He’s had a few niggly issues, but all of those seem to be sorted now and he’s been training well.

“I want to come back here for the Meld Stakes, but Kate is on about Royal Ascot for him, so we’ll see what happens.”

Aidan O’Brien’s Igor Stravinsky took another step in the right direction when landing the FITZ AGRIPLANT Maiden under Wayne Lordan.

The No Nay Never colt was second on debut at the Curragh when beaten only a short head, but struck this time when drawn widest of all in the field of 15 at a price of 5-2.

“Wayne gave him a lovely ride from a tricky stall, drawn so wide,” said stable representative Chris Armstrong.

“He had a lovely run the first day at the Curragh, obviously over slightly shorter and on easier ground.

“We felt he’d come forward a nice bit from his debut. He won well and when Colin’s horse (Apricot Ice) came to him, he put the head down and lengthened to the line.

“He’s a horse that’s come along nicely so far and we’ll take little steps. We’ll see whether he goes for a handicap or steps up into stakes company.”

The same trainer and jockey teamed up to take the Captain Dara Fitzpatrick Memorial Maiden with the Galileo colt Highbury.

Another horse beaten on debut, the bay built on that experience to cruise home on his second start and claim and seven-and-a-half-length success as the 11-10 favourite.

Armstrong said: “He’s a horse that had shown a lot at the backend of last year and early in the spring and we just had to get him out.

“Aidan ran him in Cork and he ran a lovely race but he was just very green throughout.

“He stepped up a nice bit from Cork to here, he’s still not fully there yet but he’s a horse that stays very well and he can gallop.

“He could come back here for something like the Nijinsky Stakes, he could be an Ascot horse or an Irish Derby horse. They are all nice options to have.

“He’s a high cruiser, stays well and it’s nice to see what he has promised at home on the track.”