'We can go wherever we want to go with her' - Fleur De Chine blossoms in valuable Gowran Park Classic

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The inaugural €200,000 Gowran Park Classic, the richest Flat race to be run at the track, was won impressively by the Jessica Harrington-trained filly Fleur De Chine under Shane Foley.

Harrington's Cork maiden winner Kinesiology was Foley's intended mount but was withdrawn due to the ground being on the easy side. The jockey switched to the Kirsten Rausing-owned filly and the pair quickened to the front in the last furlong to readily beat Cheshire Oaks fourth Galileo Dame by two and three-quarter lengths.

Harrington said: "We can go wherever we want to go with her now. She stayed every yard of that and I think we can step up to a mile and a half. I declared the two of them knowing that one of them wanted good ground and that this filly would like an ease. They are both by Study Of Man, and he is having some season.

"Fleur De Chine is not very big but she has a great attitude and I would say ease in the ground is important to her."

The winner gets a free entry into the Irish Derby at the end of the month and Harrington added: "I said it to Kirsten but she thought that we shouldn't do that. I would still put her in it and see what happens. We have free entry so we might as well."

Foley earlier landed the opening 1m fillies' maiden on newcomer Raw Ability for Eric McNamara. The trainer would not normally be associated with speedy Flat types but this one looks above average and Foley said: "She is better than a maiden." 

Success for Condon

The victory of Inner Success in the 1m1½f maiden will have given his trainer Ken Condon extra pleasure as it was the first winner for sire Success Days, who Condon trained to win six times including four at Group 2 and Group 3 level. In the colours of his owner-breeder Robert Ng, Inner Success stayed on resolutely under Billy Lee to beat newcomer Duraji by two and a half lengths.

Condon said: "This horse was the sire's first runner and now his first winner, and in fact Success Days also won his maiden here as a two-year-old. 

"His last run at Limerick just perplexed us a little. We were expecting him to come forward a good bit from his first run at Leopardstown but it just didn't happen. He had been working like a maiden winner and I'm just happy he put it together today.

"Billy remarked that he's still a work in progress and he did his best to stretch them. He got to the line well and he took time to pull up, which is always a good sign. I think he'll go a mile and a half. We'll be watching the weather though – I think he'll always need a cut in the ground."

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