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Donal Murphy
Setting jets away with Concorde Stakes
Jet Setting and Shane Foley pictured on their way to victory
© Photo Healy Racing
Jet Setting got back to winning ways as she blitzed her rivals in the Group 3 Coolmore Stud Home Of Champions Concorde Stakes.
Adrian Keatley 's stable star of course lowered the colours of Minding when winning the 1,000 Guineas at the Curragh in May, before she was sold to current owners the China Horse Club for 1.3 million pounds at Goffs the following month.
She since finished sixth in both the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot, and the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown.
Dropped in class today, and back on her favoured ground, the daughter of Fast Company came in for plenty of support on-course, touching 9/4, before going off the clear 7/4 favourite.
Prominent throughout under Shane Foley, she hit the front approaching the straight, and stretched clear with over a furlong to go, staying on strongly to score by six and a half lengths. Joailliere finished second under Leigh Roche for Dermot Weld at 14/1, while Sruthan who won this race in 2013, was a further length and a quarter back in third under Chris Hayes for Paul Deegan at 6/1. The Happy Prince was sent off an easy to back 5/1 chance and he finished a disappointing ninth under Donnacha O'Brien for his father Aidan.
Adrian Keatley said afterwards: "That was important today as there was a bit of pressure on. She just loves the ground - there's just no getting away from it and also loves that trip which is perfect for her.
"We'll sit down with the owners at Newmarket (Sales) next week and make a plan but wherever it is bottomless she'll turn up between now and the end of the year.
"There's a couple of Group 3's in France and a couple of Listed races but if it turned up bottomless on Champions Day at Ascot she could run in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.
"There's no decision made on next year but they're talking about going to stud with her. However I was saying to Shane (Foley) if there was going to be good prizes next spring in ground like that, that I'd prefer to have her racing.
"We've gone up in numbers (since Jet Setting's Guineas win) and have bought a good few yearlings in the last few weeks. We'll be sorting out the good from the bad over the winter and trying to find new owners too."
STEWARDS REPORTS
The Turf Club Veterinary Officer examined The Happy Prince, trained by A.P.O'Brien, at the request of the Stewards and reported the animal to be post race normal.
D. O'Brien, rider of The Happy Prince, trained by A.P.O'Brien, reported to the Stewards' Secretaries that his mount failed to see out the trip on today's testing ground conditions.
Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes