Lavery rewarded for keeping classy Prince Of Naples on the go

Dundalk in December is not the first place to look for horses rated in the 90s, but the decision of Sheila Lavery to keep the 92-rated two-year-old Prince Of Naples on the go was rewarded when he recorded a quite convincing success in the feature median auction race under Robbie Colgan.

Giving weight away all round, the Irish 2,000 Guineas entrant got a nice lead from favourite Balmari and overhauled him inside the final furlong for a smooth half-length success.

The winner had not been seen since finishing fourth in a big-field sales contest at the Curragh on Irish Champions Weekend in September, and Lavery said: “I think an awful lot of this horse. He suffered a really bad infection after he won at Fairyhouse in the summer and I really had to hit him with antibiotics which I think left a mark on him.