Scintillula proves too good for Mars Scintillula over-turned the odds on favourite Mars (8/11), as she took the Group 3 Meld Stakes for Jim Bolger and Kevin Manning. The daughter of Galileo won her maiden over course in June before finishing a good second in the Listed Celebration Stakes at the Curragh. She put in a great effort to finish fourth to Chicquinta in the Oaks on Saturday last, and turned out again quickly she was sent off a 6/1 chance. The bay three-year-old made all the running this evening and when joined by Mars over a furlong from home she dug deep and stayed on well, going on to score by two and three parts of a length. Mars had to settle for second for Aidan & Joseph O’Brien, while Along Came Casey was three and a quarter lengths back in third under Pat Smullen for Dermot Weld at 7/2 (13/2 this morning and from 5/1 on-course). Jim Bolger said afterwards: "She has come right now and she is hardy. In the spring time she wasn’t right but we got a foundation into her and it stood to her. "I felt had we made the running on Saturday we might have got a different result. "The ground was a concern beforehand but I was happy with the way she picked up on it. "We will look at the Give Thanks Stakes for her now in Cork." Joseph O'Brien commented on the run of Mars saying: "He hated the ground. "He quickened up to go upsides the winner but the ground in the straight is soft and he was all over the place on it and he couldn’t get a hold of it." Additional reporting by Gary Carson
