Rated no better than a 33-1 shot prior to Sunday's Listed 10-furlong Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Salsabil S. at Navan, Catherine Kinane's Rocky Sky (Ire) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}) turned that logic on its head with a scintillating display to score by 4 1/4 lengths and provide Ross O'Sullivan with a first black-type win in this sphere. Last seen finishing runner-up in the Listed Patton S. over a mile on Dundalk's Polytrack Mar. 5, the dark bay tanked her way to the front after the first two furlongs under Gary Halpin and was clear passing the half-mile marker. While rival jockeys must have been expecting her to come back, she had other ideas and continued her surge to the line to lead fellow 33-1 shot French Fusion (Ire) (Harzand {Ire}) and co a merry dance.
Halpin was also enjoying a first black-type win and said, “She's a grand filly. I knew coming here today that stepping up in trip and getting on to the grass she'd be very competitive. She'll come forward again from today. She's an exciting filly and it's very nice to ride a winner for Mr and Mrs Kinane and all the team at Castlefarm Stud. She has plenty of pace and I'd say a mile-and-a-quarter is okay for now, I wouldn't be in any rush to go a mile-and-a-half with her. She hasn't done anything wrong so far and the world is her oyster at the minute.”
The multiple listed-placed dam is a half to two others in that mould in Global City (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) and Sweet Afton (Ire) (Mujadil). With a yearling full-brother to the winner to follow, she is a granddaughter of the G1 Prix de Diane heroine Lypharita (Fr) (Lightning {Fr}).
IRISH STALLION FARMS EBF SALSABIL S.-Listed, €47,500, Navan, 4-25, 3yo, f, 10fT, 2:07.46, gd.
1–ROCKY SKY (IRE), 128, f, 3, by Rock of Gibraltar (Ire)
1st Dam: Road Tosky (Ire) (MSP-Ity), by Elusive City
2nd Dam: Victory Peak (GB), by Shirley Heights (GB)
3rd Dam: Lypharita (Fr), by Lightning (Fr)
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Mrs Catherine Kinane; B-Eadling Farm Ltd (IRE); T-Ross O'Sullivan; J-Gary Halpin. €28,500. Lifetime Record: 4-2-1-1, $53,809.
2–French Fusion (Ire), 128, f, 3, Harzand (Ire)–French Friend (Ire), by Teofilo (Ire). (€26,000 Wlg '18 GOFNOV; €30,000 RNA Ylg '19 GOFSPT). O-Mrs J S Bolger & Miss Clare Manning; B-Kilcarn Stud (IRE); T-Jim Bolger. €9,500.
3–Sacred Rhyme (Ire), 128, f, 3, Lope de Vega (Ire)–Singing Field (Ire), by Singspiel (Ire). (€140,000 Ylg '19 GOFOR). O-Ballylinch Stud; B-Ballyreddin Stud & Lope de Vega Syndicate (IRE); T-Jessica Harrington. €4,750.
Margins: 4 1/4, 1 1/4, HF. Odds: 33.00, 33.00, 12.00.
Also Ran: Lovely Esteem (GB), Dearg Jazz (Ire), Talacre, Willow (Ire), Flirting Bridge (Ire), Thinking of You, Create Belief (Ire), Cecelia Clementine (Ire), April Showers (Ire), Vera Verto (Ire), Port Sunlight (Ire), Maar (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result.
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