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Review navan 25th Apr

Sun 25th Apr 2010, 17:50

Last season's Irish Oaks runner-up Roses For The Lady returned to action for the first time since with an ultra-game display to take the Vintage Crop Stakes at Navan.

Fran Berry sent John Oxx's filly into the lead from the outset in the one-mile-five-furlong Listed contest and she was accompanied by British raider Merchant Of Dubai.

Nothing else got into the race as the pair battled down the home straight and it was the 6-4 favourite who stayed on best to win by three lengths. She could go for the Yorkshire Cup next.

Oxx was expected to make it a big-race double in the day's other Listed event, the Ennistown Stud EBF Salsabil Stakes, but hot favourite Hazarafa was a beaten filly when she was badly hampered in the final furlong.

The race went to another front-runner, the Jim Bolger-trained Akdarena (7-1), who ran on strongly through the closing stages for Davy Moran to score by two and a half lengths and could now have an Oaks on the agenda.

Aidan O'Brien looks to have a decent prospect in Fame And Glory's half-brother Rain Forest (13-8 favourite), who led a furlong out under Johnny Murtagh to beat newcomer Minsky Mine by two and a half lengths in the Dunderry (C & G) Maiden.

The Ballydoyle handler landed a one-two with his juvenile debutantes So Stylish and Catherineofaragon in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden, but stable jockey Murtagh was on the 'wrong' one.

Colm O'Donoghue was smartly away on So Stylish (6-1), a half-sister to One Cool Cat, and she raced alone on the far rail before comfortably holding her stable companion by a length and a half.

Joanna Morgan's classy mare Miss Gorica (15-2) humped a massive 10st 8lb in the Navan Handicap but it failed to anchor her.

Sent straight into the lead by Pat Smullen, she had her rivals in trouble at the furlong pole and stretched clear to win by a length and three-quarters from He's Got Rhythm who was carrying 37lb less.< Airspace (9-4 favourite) broke smartly under Murtagh to take the Irish Racing Calendar Maiden for Michael Halford, while the Tr