Daytona races to Smullen success at Naas
Daytona initially looked a little green when given the signal to go on by Lordan, but he was too good for North Shore, pulling three and a quarter lengths clear with the minimum of fuss, earning a 20-1 quote from Paddy Power for next year's 2000 Guineas.
Stable representative Chris Armstrong said: 'Jack (Cleary) gave him a lovely introduction in Gowran where for a first timer and he was impressive. He's come along lovely at home since then, but he's still fairly raw.
'They went along at a nice pace and he travelled into it really strong, but when he got there he was still very babyish.
'He has the makings of a lovely horse and next year you could see him over a mile and a quarter.
'He could be one for something like the Futurity or Golden Fleece. He's a horse to look forward to. He'll develop physically, he's a fine big imposing horse and he's by that sire Wootton Bassett.'
This mile race is part of the new 'Smullen Series' which consists of 18 middle-distance races for two and three-year-olds and honours the late Irish champion jockey who enjoyed Derby glory with Harzand.
Smullen was O'Brien's brother-in-law and Armstrong added: 'It's a lovely new series that they've introduced and all these new series initiatives help the programme.
'It's named after a legend and Aidan picked this race out straight after Gowran for him. He's delighted to win the first running of it and hopefully we can win a few more of them.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
an hour ago
- South Wales Argus
Metcalfe: Wales will respond after defeat in U20 Summer Series
The hosts showed determination throughout the physical encounter, reducing Ireland's advantage to 10-5 and 15-10 during the match through scores from Savannah Picton-Powell and Seren Singleton. But tries from Irish quintet Sophie Barrett, Robyn O'Connor, Hannah Clarke, Jemima Adams-Verling and Ellie O'Sullivan-Sexton ultimately put the game out Wales's reach at the Centre for Sporting Excellence in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly. However, Metcalfe insisted her charges won't dwell too much on the defeat and that they will work hard to improve before they next take to the field. 'We're Welsh, we'll be sure to keep going,' said the 18-year-old. 'I'm really proud of the girls for what they did today. 'We left everything out on the field, and I can't doubt anyone's intent. We are a really young side, so there's a few things we need to freshen up on, but I'm really proud of our efforts.' 😎 A recap of the results from yesterday's opening games in the #U6NSummerSeries — Six Nations Under-20s (@SixNationsU20) July 6, 2025 Both sides matched each other's intensity in the tackle during the opening exchanges, but Ireland were able to withstand Wales' early pressure as the game remained scoreless after 20 minutes. Barrett and O'Connor gave Ireland a 10-0 lead midway through the first half, but Wales regrouped well, halving the deficit on the half-hour mark when Chiara Pearce, fresh off the bench, offloaded to the charging Picton-Powell to dot down. Clarke finished a cross-field Irish move seven minutes into the second 40 minutes, but Wales refused to give up the ghost, hitting back five minutes later as Singleton crashed over in the corner following good work to get the ball out wide on the right to reduce the gap back to five points. Metcalfe explained it was passages of play such as the one Singleton scored from that Wales can take as one of the positive from the clash. 'I think the way we move the ball [was pleasing],' she continued. 'Our intent too and the way we were running on the ball, we're working really hard, but it's just about the little bits to finish things off now. We can definitely do it.' Amidst the driving rain, Adams-Verling, named Player of the Match, re-established Ireland's two-score buffer on 58 minutes before O'Sullivan-Sexton's late effort rounded off the scoring. Wales will be back in action on 11 July when they take on Scotland in the second match of the competition. Discover the future of international rugby at the 2025 Women's Summer Series – where rising stars shine. Follow the action live at and on Instagram @u20sixnations.
Belfast Telegraph
6 hours ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Derry rider continues dominant spell with victory at $1million event in Canada
Irish riders have been in incredible form over the past few weeks at the Canadian venue, dominating the winners circle, with Coyle's massive Atco Cup win – the final Grand Prix of the Spruce Meadows summer season – crowning the Irish domination. After two demanding rounds of jumping, four combinations went forward to the third round jump-off where Coyle posted what proved the winning clear in 35.21 seconds. America's Kyle King finished eight hundredths of a second behind Coyle to take runner-up spot aboard Kayenne Z (35.29), while Daniel Coyle's older brother Jordan finished third with Chaccolino in 35.86. A delighted Coyle explained how narrowly missing out on victory last weekend gave him an extra incentive and on how his horses improve at every level during the Spruce Meadows Summer Tournament. "I wasn't sure how today would go, to be honest. He was second last week which probably gave me a wee bit more of a spur on to try and get it over the line,' he said. "I like to come here for the summer because every horse gets a little better, even the horses at the top of the game. But not only that, we also have some six, some seven-year-olds here and they are the future, so we have to bring them along as well." In the earlier Akita Drilling Cup 1m50, Jordan Coyle came out on top with For Gold, adding to a string of wins for the Derry rider in recent weeks, while there was also an Irish win in the Moore Equine Cup for Offaly's Darragh Kenny aboard Colibelle Hero Z.
Scotsman
13 hours ago
- Scotsman
Celtic land narrow win, testimonial man misses penalty, Hearts prevail in Spain
How Scottish clubs fared in friendly matches ahead of new season Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Celtic posted a 1-0 victory over Queen's Park in their first pre-season match of the new campaign. Manager Brendan Rodgers fielded two different teams in each half at the City Stadium against their Glasgow rivals, with captain Callum McGregor, midfielders Arne Engels and Luke McCowan plus centre-half Auston Trusty the only recognisable first-team players in the squad. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad That quartet played the first half, in which young Irish striker Johnny Kenny fired the visitors ahead from close range against their Championship opponents in the 19th minute. Callum McGregor has a shot at goal during Celtic's match against Queen's Park. | PA Goalkeeper Ross Doohan made his first appearance for Celtic since returning to the club from Aberdeen earlier in the summer and he played 63 minutes of the match. An interested spectator at Lesser Hampden was Japanese defender Hayato Inamura, who earlier in the day completed his transfer from Albirex Niigata in his homeland. Inamura, who can play left-back and centre-half, has penned a four-year deal with Celtic. New striker Callum Osmand was also in attendance. At Rugby Park, Kilmarnock were the victors against near rivals Ayr United in Rory McKenzie's testimonial. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Kilmarnock's Rory McKenzie with family at full time during his testimonial match. | SNS Group The first half was goalless, with McKenzie missing the chance to open the scoring on 43 minutes when his penalty kick was saved by Ayr keeper David Mitchell. Killie took the lead just moments into the second period when Greg Kiltie capitalised on a poor clearance from Mitchell to net the only goal of the match. It was new Kilmarnock manager Stuart Kettlewell's first chance to run the rule over his squad. Hearts win in Spain In Spain, Hearts ended their pre-season training camp with a 3-1 win over Crawley Town. Strikes from James Wilson, Alan Forrest and an own goal at La Finca gave Derek McInnes' men the win over their English League Two opponents. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Jambos played two different XIs to give all of the squad valuable game-time ahead of their Premier Sports Cup opener against Dunfermline Athletic next weekend. After the match, Hearts head coach Derek McInnes confirmed that defender James Penrice is very close to joining Greek side AEK Athens. 'AEK have met our valuation,' McInnes said, 'which is brilliant money back and a great opportunity for James. In an ideal world, I'm just in the door and I've wanted to work with him for a while, but sometimes you've got to be fair. He deserves credit. He was outstanding in a tough season last year. It is a fantastic opportunity for him. Obviously it still needs to be concluded, but he looks to be on his way.'
