Review curragh 21st Mar

Tommy Stack savoured a remarkable start to the Irish turf Flat season with a 3387-1 four-timer at the Curragh & ndash; spearheaded by Pollen s win in the feature race of the day.

Earlier victories for High Award Blue Dahlia and Zorija Rose had already given the County Tipperary handler a dream beginning to the new term.

But better was to come in the Group Three Lodge Park EBF Park Express Stakes courtesy of Pollen.

Given a sweet ride by Billy Lee, who also struck gold with Zorija Rose, the five-year-old mare needed to pull out all of the stops to repel the challenge of Devoted To You the 2-1 favourite from Ballydoyle.

Fozzy Stack, the trainer's son and assistant, reported: "She's won the Lincoln last year and won here. She loves the ground.

"I don't know what's next for her & ndash; that was her Derby."

High Award began the Stack winning spree with a clean-cut success in the Tally Ho Stud EBF Maiden at the Curragh.

Stack jnr said: "We'll run him back in a winners' race, probably the Marble Hill."

Blue Dahlia then brought home the double in the Join "Go Racing In Kildare" Maiden under highly-rated youngster Mark Enright.

Stack jnr continued: "There is a six-furlong handicap at Cork for her over Easter."

Next up was the Lee-ridden Zorija Rose, who made most of the running in the Curragh Racecourse Membership Handicap.

Stack jnr added: "She loves soft ground and we'll keep her going. We'll try and get a bit of black type for her and I saw a six-and-a-half-furlong Listed race in Germany for her."

To heighten the sense of accomplishment, the quartet of scorers were Stack's only runners of the day.

The fiercely-competitive Tote Sport Lounge Irish Lincolnshire, won last year by none other than Pollen, looked a tricky puzzle to solve & ndash; and so it proved.

After all, few would have invested in 33-1 chance Big Robert trained by local handler Paul Deegan, romping home under Kieran O'Neill by two yawning lengths.

end

end