Alpha survives messy Leopardstown test

Alpha just got home in an eventful renewal of the Saudi Cup Silver Flash Stakes at Leopardstown.

All the rage for the Group Three contest as the 1-6 favourite after breaking her maiden by six lengths at the second attempt at the Curragh last month to enter Classic consideration, Aidan O’Brien’s runner was a little awkwardly away on this occasion.

Stablemate Nevermindtherain went on and was still in a sizeable advantage at halfway, before Ryan Moore got lower in the saddle on the market leader with two furlongs to run.

Alpha duly made the ground up, but began to tread water as the line approached and in another stride 20-1 chance Dancing Destiny might have reeled her in. As it was, she held on by a head.

O’Brien said: “She won, obviously. It was a bit messy at the start. She was a little bit slow away. Ryan said he just gave her a little root to wake up and then she came on the bridle and was doing a little bit too much. And then Wayne (Lordan, on Nevermindtherain) got away and it was just a mess really. Anyway, she won and it was grand.

“She got a little bit tired as well. We are training her as the races are work rather than races, if you know what I mean. If they are not really wound up and it goes wrong at the start it can be difficult. I thought she did well to win. She will be fine. I look forward to her the next day. The plan will be to go for the Debutante at the Curragh.”

Green Dreamer (5-1) stepped markedly forward from his first start at Killarney to take the Frank Conroy Irish EBF Maiden.

Only fifth of six on his racecourse bow, Joseph O’Brien’s charge was quickly into stride and stayed in front to account for Aidan O’Brien’s 4-9 favourite Shakespeare – who ran green throughout – by two lengths.

“He had a nice debut run and we thought that he’d improved. I’d say probably the first three are good horses and it was a good race,” said the winning trainer.

“The second horse looked green and our horse was very genuine and straight. He’ll probably step into one of those mile stakes races now.”

Sea Of Rain (9-4 favourite) had a wealth of experience heading into the Irish EBF Median Sires Series Fillies Maiden and made that pay with an emphatic success for the in-form Jim Bolger team.

Bolger’s travelling head lad Ger Flynn said: “We got beat by a pixel here one evening. It was the shortest of short heads. That’s how unlucky she had been.

“The boss had a belief in her. We all had belief in her. She delivered today and showed us what she had been doing at home.

“The further she goes, the better she gets. Obviously she’s progressing as the year goes on. It’s onwards and upwards with her.”