Persian Queen and Colin Keane lead home eventual third Menagerie (orange)© Photo Healy Racing
Colin Keane rode his 99th winner of the season on Persian Queen in the Naas Maiden as his mount finished well on the stands’ side to touch off Azila (18/) by a head. Menagerie (7/2) was third while the well-backed 11/10 favourite Zero Ten finished fifth.
It would appear that, to all intents and purposes, Keane has sealed his second jockeys’ title.
He leads Shane Foley 99-92 and both have their final domestic rides of the season at the Curragh tomorrow.
Foley is booked to ride five horses (Keane has six chances to get his hundredth winner of the campaign) and both riders are due to head to Keeneland in midweek ahead of the Breeders’ Cup meeting on Friday and Saturday.
The winning filly of the Naas finale, in the well-known colours of Davy Brennan, had one very promising run last year when third in a big-field Curragh maiden and hadn’t been seen since.
Winning trainer Noel Meade said: “She was with Ger (Lyons) and she went wrong. The whole idea was to win a maiden with her and I don’t know if that is the end with her.
“She wouldn’t be going on quicker ground. She’s a huge big filly and Colin said she didn’t know what she was doing for a lot of the race. She only got going late on.
“She had a very good run at the Curragh last year and Ger liked her a lot before she went wrong.
“She has a good pedigree so she won’t be going jumping.”
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
