€260,000 buy with Group 1 entries beats Ballydoyle odds-on shot for winning debut in a Killarney maiden with rich recent history

Paddy Twomey: just as good at sourcing horses as he is at training them and placing them in the right races

Paddy Twomey: trainer of City Of DubaiCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

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Paddy Twomey's smart debutant City Of Dubai added his name to a Killarney maiden with a rich recent history on Monday evening.

The son of Mehmas was a €260,000 buy for Bond Thoroughbreds at the Goffs Orby Book 1 sale last year and looked a nice prospect when scoring by half a length under Billy Lee in the mile contest.

City Of Dubai beat the Juddmonte-owned newcomer Francillon, who was the only horse in the six-runner contest without a Group 1 entry later this season.

The race's recent honour roll includes Anthony Van Dyck (2018) and Benvenuto Cellini (2025), Derby winners at Epsom and the Curragh, while Queen's Vase scorer Limestone finished third in last year's contest and Piz Badile struck in 2021 before finishing second behind Westover in the Irish Derby a year later.

Twomey said: "I'm very happy with him. We waited with him through May and June and in the last few weeks he's really come forward. He has ability and I thought he'd run very well but you could do that and win or finish fourth."

City Of Dubai has two top-level entries on Irish Champions Weekend in the Golden Fleece Stakes at Leopardstown on September 12 and in the Goffs Vincent O'Brien National Stakes at the Curragh the following day.

Twomey said on Racing TV: "He's a horse for next year. He'll get a mile and a quarter no problem and he has a good, staying pedigree. I think we'd be looking at a couple of runs over a mile this year and we'd have a nice horse to step up in trip next year."

The Aidan O'Brien-trained Oklahoma was sent off the 30-100 favourite on the back of his debut second to his stablemate and next year's Derby favourite Giant Sequoia but was beaten a length in third having attempted to make all.

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