Donal Murphy
Adool wins Hurry Harriet for Weld & Smullen
Adool leads home Santa Monica and Assume
© Photo Healy Racing
Adool justified favouritism in the feature at Gowran this evening, the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Hurry Harriet Stakes.
Successful on her debut at Fairyhouse in June, the daughter of Teofilo then finished a staying on third in the Group 3 Meld Stakes at Leopardstown.
Available at 5/2 last night, the Dermot Weld trained chestnut went as short as 6/4 on-course, before going off the 7/4 market leader.
Having raced mainly in third she was pushed along from the two furlong pole, and was soon ridden to challenge. She hit the front inside the final furlong, and kept on well in the closing stages, going on to score by half a length under Pat Smullen.
The well-backed Santa Monica (9/1 to 9/2 on-course) had to settle for second under Declan McDonogh for Charles O'Brien, while Assume (7/2) was another half a length back in third under Wayne Lordan for David Wachman.
Dermot Weld, who was recording his third win in this race from the last four runnings, said afterwards: "This is a race I like and Gowran is an excellent track.
"She is a lovely, progressive filly. Pat said she was a little bit green when he let her down, but this is only her third start, and she'll learn from that.
"She won her maiden very impressively and then she ran very to finish third in the Meld behind two very good older horses, so she was group placed after that.
"It is lovely to win a stakes race with her, and I'm especially placed for Sheikh Hamdam because it's one of his famous families, and it's nice to keep them in the limelight and get blacktype with them.
"We will see now next if we can win a group race with her. She is a late maturing filly, she has been very immature mentally and physically.
"The good ones always show you ability and she showed it even as a two-year-old but she was just immature so we took our time and patience is delivering.
"Sheikh Hamdam very rarely races four-year-old fillies so I'd imagine this will be her last season so we will now push on and try and win group races with her."
"I think a mile and a quarter is her right trip."
Additional reporting by Alan Magee