Irish Weekend Review: Opening weekend of the Flat season

Jim Bolger made a flying start to the Flat season

Timeform's Billy Nash takes a look back at the opening day of the Irish Flat season...

The recent spell of inclement weather put paid to both Gowran on Saturday and Downpatrick on Sunday, but it didn't prevent the 2013 Irish Flat season from kicking off at the Curragh, and Jim Bolger will be happier than most that the meeting went ahead as the master of Coolcullen was responsible for four of the seven winners on the card. Bolger introduced Dawn Approach, who went on to end the year as Timeform's top-rated 2-y-o of 2012, at this meeting last year and looks to have another exciting juvenile on his hands in the shape of Saburo who was crediting his trainer with a third successive victory in this race. Well supported in the market beforehand, Saburo was never too far from the lead before running on well to come home over two lengths ahead of My Sapphire. Stubbs, a son of Danehill Dancer and the Oaks winner Moonstone, shaped really well back in third and will be very hard to beat in similar company next time.

Favourite backers were on the wrong side of the result in race two as Master Speaker, who shaped like the best horse in the race for most of the way, was eventually outbattled by Caesaria with the pair pulling nicely clear of the remainder and both can be expected to make their mark at a higher level later in the season. 

Rehn's Nest, who finished second in a listed race at this track last year, brought up the treble for team Bolger when proving too strong for the odds-on Yellow Rosebud in the Group 3 Park Express Stakes. Rehn's Nest seems sure to stay at least a mile and a quarter (by Authorized out of a Galileo mare) and she will reportedly take her chance in a classic trial next, whilst Alpinist rounded off a great day for the Bolger camp when showing a good attitude to see off a pair of newcomers, namely Silver Lightening and Lake District, in the concluding maiden.

There was a local success in the big race on the card, the Irish Lincolnshire, as the 8-y-o Sweet Lightning came from well off the pace to supply the upwardly-mobile combination of Tommy Carmody and Johnny Murtagh with another big-race success. The winner of the 2011 Lincoln at Doncaster, Sweet Lightning ran some creditable races in defeat last year and should be able to pay his way in listed/lesser Group races in Ireland this season, which is just as well as an 11 lb hike for this win virtually excludes him from future handicaps.

As is now traditional, Aidan O'Brien brought a big team (which included the likes of Camelot and Mars) to gallop after racing but he didn't leave empty handed as his Francis of Assisi ran out a convincing winner of the Madrid handicap. The winner of a maiden at Naas on the second of his two starts last season, Francis of Assisi came right away from Einsteins Folly in the final furlong and looks one to keep on the right side of in the near future, and similar comments apply to the progressive Srucahan who picked up where he left off last year by completing a hat-trick in the sprint handicap and is reportedly set to reappear in the listed Cork Stakes next weekend. 

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