Iniesta comes home ahead of Leafcutter at Galway© Photo Healy Racing
Iniesta overturned the Dermot Weld-hotpot Leafcutter when beating him into second in the juvenile maiden at Galway that kicked off the sixth day of the festival.
Iniesta and Keyword disputed the lead as the seven runners tackled the mile and a half on soft going. With over three furlongs to race, Joseph O’Brien then pushed Iniesta into a clear lead.
Pat Smullen, who had sat in third on Leafcutter, tracked O’Brien to the home turn. From there it looked like he would ‘cut’ down Iniesta, but the latter battled well all the way to the line for a two-lengths success.
Joseph O’Brien commented: “He’s tough and he stays well although I’m not sure if he’s 100 per cent happy on the ground. It’s dead ground and testing.
Leafcutter, a son of Shamardal, swished his tail in the final furlong and could make no impression as Iniesta started to draw away.
Dermot Weld’s charge, who was 5/4 this morning, was hammered down to 8/13 at the track, while Iniesta took a walk in the market the other way going from 11/8 to 15/8. Shan Dun Na Ngall stayed on from rear to come home third for Connor King and John Joseph Murphy, beaten eight lengths in total.
This was Aidan O’Brien’s second winner of the festival. Iniesta was stepping up on a third place outing behind Club Wexford in a seven furlong Leopardstown maiden in June, on good to yielding ground.
Iniesta and Leafcutter both hold Group race entries – Iniesta in the Group 1 National Stakes and the Group 2 Futurity Stakes, a race Leafcutter is also in.
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
