Aidan O'Brien, left, welcomes in Macbride and Sarah O'Brien© Photo Healy Racing
Macbride gamely saw off Most Peculiar and Hash Brown to land the winners’ bumper in Cork.
Sarah O’Brien, in the JP McManus colours, had the five-year-old gelding to the fore from flagfall in this race over two miles three furlongs. Most peculiar on the outside and Hash Brown on the inside both looked set to deliver stern challenges in the last quarter of mile, yet O’Brien kept bustling her mount along and the pair repelled their rivals.
Macbride was nicely supported before racing commenced in Cork, from 5/2 to 7/4 and he went off the 13/8 favourite. He was following up on a Limerick bumper win over two miles in May.
Most Peculiar, for Willie and Patrick Mullins, kept on to be beaten a length into second at 5/2. Hash Brown landed a place payout for those who got involved in the gamble from 14/1 to 8/1 at the track. He came home third, beaten five lengths by the winner.
Trainer Aidan O’Brien said: “He’s ready to go jumping. JP will decide, but he might go to Galway for a maiden hurdle.”
And on his three runners (Cougar Mountain, Due Diligence and Fountain Of Youth) due to run in tomorrow’s Group 1 July Cup at Newmarket, O’Brien added: “If it rains tonight we’ll have to see about taking them out. If it doesn’t, and it rains tomorrow we’ll make a decision then. Cougar Mountain needs to run for experience, but the other two don’t.”
Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes
