Accredited gives Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore a first winner of the 2026 Irish Flat Seaon, Credit: Breandán Ó hUallacháin
Breandán Ó hUallacháin
Aidan O’Brien, Ryan Moore, and the Coolmore partners completed a treble at Naas on Sunday with Accredited, Causeway and Drop Dead Gorgeous
The €1 million breeze-up sales purchase Accredited (13/8) lost his maiden tag at Naas Racecourse in Ireland on Sunday afternoon.
Owned by a Coolmore partnership of Westerberg, Mrs John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derek Smith, the China Horse Club International-bred gave trainer Aidan O’Brien and jockey Ryan Moore their first winner of the new Irish flat racing season, and it was the first of a treble for them today.
The son of Siyouni, who was fourth to Iron Lily on his racecourse debut at Dundalk last October, put his previous track experience to beneficial use as he set the early place this afternoon at the County Kildare venue.
Despite the challenge of Sindagan (11/10 favourite), representing the Exors of the Late H H Aga Khan, the Ballydoyle-based three-year-old colt Accredited, who is a full-brother to the 2025 Greenham Stakes third-place Saracen, saw off all challengers to record a two and a half length success in the seven furlong colts and geldings maiden.
Discussing the performance of Accredited with members of the media post-race, the winning conditioner Aidan O’Brien admitted:
“He had done very well throughout the winter and is very straightforward and laid-back with a lovely mind. Ryan (Moore, winning rider) said he’ll be fine going up to a mile, so we’ll probably go for a winners’ race and then to stakes.”
Can Causeway emulate Paddington?
Paddington, now standing at Coolmore Stud in County Tipperary, famously won The Irish Racing Writers Association Madrid Handicap at this fixture in 2023 before going on to win four Group 1 races, the Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas, St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, Eclipse Stakes at Sandown and the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood. It will be interesting to see if the well-bred winner of the 2026 renewal of the Madrid Handicap, Causeway (13/8 favourite), is as talented.
A bay three-year-old son of Wootton Bassett, the last-time winner at The Curragh in October carried topweight of 9-12 on Sunday to a head success over his former stable companion Controlled (33/1) with Cotai Lights (11/2) two and a half lengths further back in third.
Though a short-head success may not seem impressive, the brother to Irish Oaks third, Island Hopping, was slowly into stride out of the gates and had to be pushed by Moore to take up a prominent position.
Causeway, from the same family as the top-class Coolmore mares Magical and Rhododendron, claimed the lead two furlongs from the wire and stayed on to hold off the challenge of the Daniel Murphy-trained Shane Foley-ridden Controlled, and Adrian Keatley’s Cotai Lights, the mount of Oisín Murphy.
The winning trainer Aidan O’Brien’s reaction was:
“He was tough and he learned a lot. He took a run last year; he was a little bit lazy. He’ll obviously stay a lot further. Ryan was good on him. I think he’ll be very comfortable going a mile and could get further.”
Impeccably bred Drop Dead Gorgeous wins on debut
Prior to racing at Naas on Sunday, the most talked about horse on show was interestingly not the €1m purchase Accredited, but the impeccably bred filly Drop Dead Gorgeous.
Making her racecourse debut in The Aesop’s Fables at Compas Stallions Irish EBF Fillies Maiden over one mile, the daughter of Dubawi is out of the blue hen mare, You’resothrilling.
Starting an even-money favourite for the 10-runner contest, Drop Dead Gorgeous and Ryan Moore followed her half-sister, the three-time placed White Sand Beach (5/2), who is out of the multiple Group 1-winning Alice Springs, in the initial stages of the race.
This allowed the eventual winner to learn from her first experience on the track, and she had one and a quarter length in hand at the wire.
The runner-up, Fleur De Provence (16/1), in the Moyglare Stud Farm silks, held off the early race leader, White Sand Beach and jockey Wayne Lordan by a half-length.
“We’re delighted with her,” was the initial reaction of winning handler, Aidan O’Brien, who added, “she’s a lovely big filly. She’s still a baby, learned plenty today. She was very green when she got there but we’re very happy. She’ll stay further.”
Drop Dead Gorgeous is the ninth foal out of the Storm Cat mare, You’resothrilling – the first not sired by the late Coolmore Stud stallion Galileo.
The race she won this afternoon was previously won by subsequent Classic winners Tuesday and Empress Josephine – both trained at Ballydoyle by Aidan O’Brien for the Coolmore partners.
Drop Dead Gorgeous has an entry in both the Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas in May and the Irish Oaks in July.
