My Mate Alfie gets there in time

The Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden was won by 8/13 favourite My Mate Alfie trained by Ger Lyons, but it was far from being a straightforward victory for champion jockey Colin Keane.

The Dark Angel colt, placed on his first two starts at the Curragh, tracked the leaders and was locked up on the inner from an early stage.

Keane managed to angle him out into the clear a furlong from home but the market leader had a fair bit to do with time running out. He proved equal to the task, though and collared the always-prominent Battle Cry and Starliner in the final strides to beat that pair by half a length and a head. 

Assistant trainer Shane Lyons said: "Colin was excellent, he knows the horse from home. He rode him like a champion jockey should ride him.

"He produced him on the line and the horse will come on immensely maturity-wise.

"Austin Whelan, who owns the horse, is an Irishman that lives in London. He's a gentleman and we are delighted for him, hopefully it is the first of many for us. He has a few horses here, there and everywhere, but he has a couple with us.

"His first couple of runs have been good, but he will only get better mentally and he will get great confidence out of that.

"He wants a little bit of a cut, the ground is beautiful.

"The Goffs Million would be an obvious race. They boys are totally in it for fun, so that could be on the shortlist." 

Quotes from Michael Graham