Weld edges to 6-5 lead over Ballydoyle in Give Thanks Stakes

Dermot Weld moved a score ahead of Champion Trainer Aidan O'Brien in the pair's battles for the Group 3 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Give Thanks Stakes at Cork as this year's renewal went to Weld's Aga Khan owned Tarnawa under Chris Hayes.

Tarnawa was last seen finishing a disappointing 11th in the Epsom Oaks on May 31 but was produced in fine fettle today as she scored a two and a half lengths, and a head, win from O'Brien's pair Simply Beautiful and Delphinia

Tarnawa's win shifted the 'Give Thanks-score' back in favour of the Master of Rosewell House, who was understandably chuffed with the result and later joked “I was just reading about myself and Aidan and we have won the last 11 renewals. It's 6-5 to me - it's like the hurling!

“They are good fillies, it's as simple as that and it mightn't have been a big field but they are very good fillies. She (Tarnawa) is very consistent and has now won a second Group race and I think she is getting better.

“She had a busy spring, is tough and had a nice break since the Oaks. I was disappointed at Epsom; ground might have been a little bit quick for her but she did not come down the hill at Epsom.

“Epsom is like Galway in that horses have to come down the hill and some either do or don't. Horses either do or don't handle the track and that's why I thought Cork would be ideal as a lovely flat track which I rate very highly.

“I don't have a definite plan, I want to see how she comes out of today and we'll go from there.”