Waltham and Colin Keane © Photo Healy Racing
Ger Lyons and Colin Keane doubled up on the card at Leopardstown tonight with another Juddmonte horse when Waltham ran out an impressive winner of the rated race.
Colin Keane held the Roaring Lion colt up in the early stages of the mile-and-a-half contest before taking closer order turning for home.
The even-money favourite hit the front a furlong-and-a-half from home and really stretched clear in the closing stages to post a comprehensive six-length win over long-time leader Picture Of A City
Waltham was making it two from two having also landed his maiden over course and distance last month.
Lyons had earlier questioned the mark the handicapper had given his charge and joked:-
“He's always been right, when did I ever know what I was talking about!
“He had me worried. These trip horses, you have to see them on the track. He's only 80 percent cooked.
“When he went for his race there I said to (daughter) Kerry 'wow, that'll do'. I think there is huge improvement in him, he's a nice horse and wouldn't it be lovely to think he could grow into a cup horse next year.
“You could even go further with him, he's just a nice horse. I thought he had to be a stakes horse to do that and I'd say he's a stakes horse on that ground.
“I'd stress that you're not going to see the best of him until this time next year when he grows up.
“He's a lovely horse to have anything to do with, he's just a lovely pleasant horse.
“At the minute the sky is the limit and he's something nice to look forward to because there doesn't seem to be any negatives to him.
“We'll see when he gets home but I wouldn't say we'll over cook him.
“We'll have a discussion with everybody involved and do the right thing by the horse. I'd say we'd be more thinking of next year with him than anything else.
“These trip horses don't show you a whole pile on my gallops. I thought he's definitely a maiden winner but there is a huge difference between a maiden winner and being rated 95. Then there is a huge difference between being rated 95 and being able to operate off 95. He's proven he can do that.
“I know what we've done with him and I know that there is improvement in him, it's not that that's his limit.
“I'd like to think he's a stakes horse. He's in the Ballyroan and things like that but we'll do what's right by him and I'd say he needs an ease in the ground to be at his best and to be safe.”
Lyons and Keane had also landed the featured Minstrel Stakes with Juddmonte filly Zarinsk
