Racing: Palace leaves Abbey in his wake

Tuesday 8 May 2012

Windsor Palace caused a huge upset by holding off his esteemed stablemate St Nicholas Abbey to clinch the High Chaparral EBF Mooresbridge Stakes yesterday at the Curragh.

66-1 shot Windsor Palace, ridden by Colm O'Donoghue, wins the High Chaparral EBF Mooresbridge Stakes at the Curragh yesterday. Picture: PA

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White and Gold

Trainer Aidan O'Brien has landed this Group 3 prize for the past two seasons with proven top-class performers Fame And Glory and So You Think, and the multiple Group 1 winner St Nicholas Abbey was the 2-5 favourite to complete the hat trick.

Having signed off his 2011 campaign with a brilliant performance in the Breeders' Cup Turf and finished a narrow second in the Dubai Sheema Classic two months ago, this appeared to represent an ideal opportunity for the five-year-old to find the target.Joseph O'Brien, fresh from his sparkling performance in the saddle on Camelot in Saturday's 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, was happy to sit third as stable companions Windsor Palace and Robin Hood set a strong gallop.The two of them had opened up a big lead on the rest of the field rounding the home turn, but both O'Brien and Johnny Murtagh on second-favourite Sharestan were happy to let them go.However, a couple of furlongs later it was evident that the front pair were not stopping and although the market principals were making good late ground, it proved all too late.Windsor Palace (66-1) and Colm O'Donoghue passed the post with a length in hand over St Nicholas Abbey, with Sharestan grabbing third from Robin Hood."He [Windsor Palace] had a good run here the last day [third behind Excelebration] and he's a soft ground horse," said O'Brien."We knew St Nicholas Abbey wasn't a heavy ground horse, everyone knows that. Joseph just let him find himself there and it was his first run back after Dubai."He [St Nicholas Abbey] ran a lovely race and we're delighted with him. Sometimes it happens, they don't get through that ground, that's the way it is, that's racing. We are happy with the horse and, hopefully, he will come forward from it. You'd be happier if he won but he didn't, but there's always another day."

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Racing: Palace leaves Abbey in his wake

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