John O'Riordan
Call Me Captain lands finale to give McMonagle Naas double
Natalia Lupini and Craig Bryson
© Photo Healy Racing
Call Me Captain made a winning racecourse debut for Natalia Lupini when staying on strongly inside the final furlong to land the concluding Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden at Naas.
Ridden by Dylan Browne McMonagle, who was completing a double on the afternoon, the 18/1 chance led over a furlong out, keeping on nicely to beat Reyenzi by three-quarters-of-a-length.
Like McMonagle's previous winner Tommy McJohn the Lupini trained gelding had originally been the mount of Seamie Heffernan.
The latter missed out on three winners, as he was also booked to ride Mykonian Odyssey who won the mile nursery earlier in the day.
The trainer's partner Craig Bryson said: “He's a horse we liked a lot at home. Paddy Turley bought him and he liked him as well.
“He was just ready to start today and showed his greenness down the back. We hoped he'd run a nice race but coming to a maiden like this you are only hoping.
“He showed a wee bit of class there today to get to the front and get the job done nicely.
“He's a nice horse going forward. If he had come here today and been placed we would have been delighted, to win is brilliant.
“We'll see how he is after that. He could possibly have one more run but he's probably a middle distance horse for next year, although he's not slow either as that was seven today.
“He's going to progress into a nice horse . He's a massive big horse.”
Additional reporting by Gary Carson.