Scorthy Champ victorious (Breandán Ó hUallacháin)
By Breandán Ó hUallacháin
With Donnacha O’Brien winning the Group 1 Coolmore America ‘Justify’ Matron Stakes at Leopardstown on day one of Irish Champions Festival 2024 on Saturday, and his father Aidan claiming the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes on day two at The Curragh, Joseph O’Brien may have felt a little left out of the Group 1-winning company.
The older of the O’Brien sons didn’t have to wait too long on Sunday, however, as his Scorthy Champ (12/1) gave him a victory at the highest level when winning the Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes at The Curragh
In the colours of Rectory Road Holdings Limited, and also part-owned by Barry Fowler and Annemarie O’Brien [the winning trainer’s mother], the two-year-old son of Mehmas defeated the pre-race favourite, the previously unbeaten Henri Matisse (5/6 favourite), by three-quarters of a length.
The two British-trained runners, Seagulls Eleven (7/1) and Aomori City (4/1), were third and fourth respectively for handlers Hugo Palmer and Charlie Appleby, three-quarters and two and a quarter lengths respectively further behind the Aidan O’Brien-prepared runner-up.
The winner, ridden by Joseph O’Brien’s main jockey, County Donegal-born Dylan Browne McMonagle, came into Sunday’s race somewhat under the radar. He had won a maiden on debut at Leopardstown, before finishing third of four runners in the Group 2 Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Futurity Stakes at The Curragh on his only other career race.
The victory in the Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes was a third in the past five years [after wins for Thunder Moon in 2020 and Al Riffa in 2022] in the seven-furlong juvenile race for Joseph O’Brien, the former Breeders’ Cup-winning rider and trainer, who is based in County Kilkenny.
Speaking after his Group 1 victory, the successful rider, Dylan Browne McMonagle, said:
“He’s a very talented horse. He’s still learning. He’s still a big bay. He jumped good today. I knew he’d stay well. He went through the gears nicely from half-way and he was good and tough in the last furlong and got to the line strong.
“He’s going to have no problem getting further. He’s very talented. He relaxes good and he’s got a really good temperament and he’s not slow at the back-end of it.”
For the dual Melbourne Cup-winning handler Joseph O’Brien, the win was special, as he explained:
“It’s very satisfying. It’s a special day. I’m really happy for the horse. It was a fantastic ride by Dylan and I’m so delighted for Barry Fowler, who’s in the partnership with Sam McCauley, who’s been such a huge supporter of ours for the last number of years and it’s so special to win a Group 1.”
Discussing the short career to date of the son of Tally Ho’s Stud Mehmas, the Carriganóg conditioner stated:
“He’d a really good debut and the form of that maiden worked out really well. We came back here the last day off a lay-off and we knew whatever happened the last day, we were going to be better after the run. I’m not saying we thought that he’d win today but we thought we’d really run a big race.
“I thought he was really impressive. Dylan [Browne McMonagle, winning rider] felt that he idled in front. He’s top notch.”
