Titanium Emperor impresses in scaling Mount Kilimanjaro at Dundalk

Aidan O’Brien’s first domestic runner of 2025 suffered a shock reverse, with Mount Kilimanjaro having no answer to smart-looking debutant Titanium Emperor at Dundalk.

Winner of a valuable conditions race on Arc weekend, Mount Kilimanjaro had ended his juvenile campaign with a runner-up finish to stablemate Twain in the Group One Criterium International at Saint-Cloud.

Ridden by Ryan Moore in the William Hill Top Price Guarantee Patton Race over a mile, the 1-4 favourite travelled alongside Titanium Emperor and David Egan for much of the way, but was unable to assert when push came to shove, as 4-1 chance Titanium Emperor found plenty of pressure, scoring by three lengths from Spicy Margarita, with Mount Kilimanjaro only third.

Winning trainer Adrian Murray said of the beautifully-bred Amo Racing-owned colt: “We have always thought a lot about him.

“We did stick him in at the deep end, but he didn’t let us down.

“We knew the favourite was the one to beat, and was going to be tough to beat, but we were happy to come and take him on.

“Gorgeous looker and a beautiful temperament. He’s a beautiful horse and a beautiful way of racing. His temperament is second to none.

“Maybe the Tetrarch Stakes at the Curragh next. We will take him in steps.

“I’d say 10 (furlongs) and I’d say he would get a mile and a half.”

On a good night for Murray, Egan and Amo Racing, smart sprinter Valiant Force – winner of the Norfolk at Royal Ascot in 2023 and runner-up at the Breeders’ Cup – made his first try at a mile a winning one with a clear-cut success as the 8-11 market leader in the William Hill Best Odds Guaranteed Race.

Murray said: “I’m very impressed with that, he put it to bed very early. It was a fact-finding mission for him today, but we thought with pedigree that he is bred to be a miler. It gives us great options, more options over the summer.

“We have no real plans, everything is opening up for us – six, seven or eight furlongs.”

There was a poignant winner on the card, too, with Paddy Smullen, son of the late Pat Smullen, recording his first victory in the saddle courtesy of the Dermot Weld-trained Grappa Nonino in the Every Cheltenham Festival Race Live Only On Racing TV (Q.R.) Handicap.

Smullen, 17, said after the 20-1 success: “It is amazing really. It doesn’t feel real to get my first winner at the same track as my dad did (Vicosa in 1993) and for the trainer he rode so many winners for.

“A great big thank you to Mr Weld. He has given me two chances now and I’m happy to have repaid him. For a trainer, it is not easy to give a rider with such little experience rides so I am grateful to him and his family.”

On Grappa Nonino, he added: “He’s a brilliant horse. I rode him in the Curragh last time obviously as well, so I had a feel for him.

“At home, he has been in the best form he has ever been. Everyone kind of knew that he had a chance of winning because he was up here working a few weeks before – he worked superbly.”