Group 1 options open again to Point Lonsdale after gritty return victory

The O'Briens had a spectacular day at the Curragh and it was Aidan who landed the Group 3 Alleged Stakes with Point Lonsdale, a determined scorer on his first appearance since meeting with a setback in last year's 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket. 

There were plenty of questions for the son of Australia to answer coming into this race. It was his first try at a mile and a quarter on his comeback from nearly a year on the sidelines and the ground was much more testing than he had encountered before. However, he produced a gritty display under Wayne Lordan to run down Visualisation, a smart performer on heavy ground, and score by a length and a half.

"You’d have to be very happy with that considering it was his first run back on that ground," said the winning trainer. "He’s going to stay further. We always thought as a two-year-old he'd stay further than seven furlongs, but we never went up in trip as we had other horses."

Having been one of the best juveniles in 2021, Point Lonsdale looks a top-class middle-distance prospect for Ballydoyle.

O'Brien said: "He’s a full-brother to Broome and is just a lovely, genuine, clear-winded horse. There was no hiding place out there today.

"He was a very good two-year-old who was beaten in the National Stakes only by Native Trail. The Tattersalls Gold Cup is an option but we also have Luxembourg in the same kind of bracket. All those races are open to him now."

Gladness for Goldana

Joseph was the third O'Brien to get in on the act, after Donnacha had won the fillies' maiden with Porta Fortuna, when Goldana stayed on strongly to land the Group 3 Lester Piggott Gladness Stakes under Dylan Browne McMonagle.

The four-year-old is a new recruit for the stable, having been sourced from Germany. She was a Listed winner there over a mile and a furlong, so she might have been forgiven if this seven-furlong trip had proved too sharp, but she rallied admirably in the final furlong after being slightly outpaced. She was well in command at the line to secure victory by a length and three-quarters from Mea Domina.

O'Brien said: "I’m delighted with her and for the owners as it’s their first horse with me. She’s a half-sister to Love Reigns, who is a smart filly of Wesley Ward’s, and was a Listed winner in Germany.

"She looks a nice prospect for the season. The Athasi might come a little soon but there’s a lovely fillies' programme over this sort of distance."

Fozzy Stack notched a double with useful-looking three-year-old colts who lost their maiden tags in Bright Legend and Run Ran Run. The latter survived a stewards' inquiry after edging out Desert Haven by a nose.

Read these next:

Boussac winner Blue Rose Cen adds to Christopher Head's Classic hand with straightforward comeback success 

'He's a lovely young horse' - Constitution Hill's half-brother makes impressive winning debut at Huntingdon 

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