Ballydoyle gain second successive '2-1' maiden win

Ballydoyle horses continue in rude health and for the second day in succession, an Aidan O'Brien trained '2-1' upset punters as outsider Western Australia (14/1) beat 5/6 favourite South Pacific in the opening Irish EBF Supporting ICW (C & G) Maiden at Gowran today.

O'Brien's Isle Of Innisfree, 12/1 under Seamie Heffernan, beat even money favourite and stablemate All The King's Men, under Donnacha O'Brien, at Naas yesterday and the pair repeated the dose at Gowran, where Western Australia made all, under Heffernan, to comfortably beat South Pacific, under Donnacha O'Brien.

Both of O'Brien's lesser-fancied winners Isle Of Innisfree and today's victor Western Australia raced during Ballydoyle's virus-hit mid-summer spell but showed improved form to gain their respective wins.

Following Western Australia's win, jockey Heffernan said “it's not a surprise that they're improving a fair bit from run to run.

“He's clean winded and I ran down past the winning post well. He could be a nice type, the head went down and out when I went for him.

“I rode Donnacha's (South Pacific) lad the last day and he was horrendously green.

“You'd like the Australias, I'll be looking for more of them, I'd like him as a stallion.”

Quotes from Gary Carson