Coeur D'or and Chris Hayes win the Paddy Power Supporting Cancer Trials Ireland Irish Cambridgeshire.© Photo Healy Racing
Coeur D'or followed up his win in the BMW Mile at the Galway festival when getting up close home to record a last gasp success in the Irish Cambridgeshire at the Curragh.
Despite a 5lb rise for his win in the feature race on the second night of the western festival, the lightly raced seven-year-old had enough in hand of the handicapper to overcome that hike.
Unraced at two, the Dermot Weld trained gelding showed promise in one start as a three-year-old, before being off the track for 482 days. A further three outings as a four-year-old were certainly not devoid of promise but an additional 617 days off must have tested the veteran trainers patience.
However, since returning to the track with a nice effort over course and distance last May, the gelding has managed to string together a series of good runs that have seen him climb the ranks.
A maiden winner at Laytown last September, he registered win number two at Leopardstown in June, before adding a third in the BMW Mile.
However, this afternoons win off a career high mark was certainly his best performance to date. Held up in mid division from a low draw, Chris Hayes made stylish headway over two furlongs out, producing his charge to challenge Blues Emperor and Crystal Black inside the final furlong. Leading close home, Coeur D'or denied young Wesley Joyce a fairytale win aboard Blues Emperor.
“He's a tough, very genuine, game horse,” said Weld.
“In his younger days he was a very immature horse so I gave him a lot of time and it all paid dividends.
“He loves to come from off the pace and he's very consistent. He ran very well in the Nasrullah (when third at Leopardstown), he was only beaten over a length.
“Ground-wise he's pretty versatile but he doesn't want extremes, he wouldn't handle very soft or very firm.
“The Northfields Handicap here on Champions Weekend will be his next race.”
Additional reporting by Gary Carson.
