Marvada, centre, shows her will to win at Naas© Photo Healy Racing
The feature race at Naas, the Group 3 Brownstown Stakes, was won in game fashion by Ken Condon’s Marvada who battled past outsider Caprella by three parts of a length.
Another favourite supplied by Aidan and Joseph O’Brien was foiled. This time 11/10 chance After came in third after she failed to quicken in the last 100 yards. Joseph O’Brien put up a pound over.
Caprella (25/1) made all and had her four rivals off the bridle at the business end of the race, however Marvada (3/1) made headway a furlong out and stayed on stoutly to win under Shane Foley.
Ken Condon said: “I’m delighted. She’s like a blue collar worker. She has worked her way up and has done it the hard way. She won her maiden at Down Royal and kept progressing.
“She showed a will to win in the last 50 yards. She wasn’t mad about the ground, but she’s nothing if not genuine and honest.
“We are thrilled. She deserved that. She has turned up in all the races. We knew she would get one eventually as she is not afraid of hard graft and hard work.
“We’ll look at the Fairy Bridge Stakes and races like that. She’ll get an entry for the Matron Stakes and she might take her chance if there’s seven or eight runners as it’s only up the road and she likes Leopardstown.
“It’s my first Group winner since Norman Invader five years ago [Group 3 Round Tower Stakes on 2 Sep 2007 at the Curragh].”
Marvada was the only four-year-old in the race and gave each of her four rivals eight pounds in weight.
Marvada’s win gives a boost to John Oxx’s Alanza who goes for the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket on Friday. She beat Marvada at Leopardstown in the Group 3 Ballycorus Stakes last time out.
Michael Graham (on course reporting by Gary Carson)
