Image © Healy Racing
Cristal D’Estruval provided his sire Crystal Ocean with a first success in points when landing the first division of the four-year-old geldings maiden at Lisronagh on Sunday.
Barry O’Neill’s mount was always towards the head of affairs, but was headed by favourite No Walkover approaching the final obstacle where he jumped left and made a slight blunder. Despite this, the bay debutant showed tremendous grit when battling back on the flat to get up on the line to score by a neck in what was the fastest run race on the card.
“He is a lovely horse and I was going to go to Tinahely with him, but we reverted to here when it was called off," reported handler Colin Bowe.
“That’s a first winner for Crystal Ocean. We liked him at home and he’ll head on to the Cheltenham sales now.”
Cristal D’Estruval, a €67,000 purchase at last year’s Goffs Arkle Sale, was only the third runner between the flags for Crystal Ocean, with his first runner, Canty’s Cove finishing a very promising second on debut the previous afternoon at Knockanard and the filly Saveforarainyday filling fourth spot for Derek O’Connor in the opening maiden at Lisronagh.
A high class middle-distance star, Crystal Ocean who was trained by Sir Michael Stoute, never finished out of the first three places during his glittering 17-race career where he accumulated earnings of more than £2 million.
Retired to stud in 2020, the son of superstar Sea The Stars was granted the accolade for being the busiest Stallion at Stud in Britain and Ireland in 2023 when covering 335 mares. He has already produced several winners on the level, along with a three-year-old bumper winner and a four-year-old hurdle winner.
The 2019 World Champion Racehorse Crystal Ocean resides at The Beeches Stud, Lismore, County Waterford and with 24 hunter certificates already issued for his first crop, Crystal Ocean looks sure to make his presence felt among the four-year-old division this season.
Coolmore were also responsible for producing the victor of the second division of the four-year-old maiden at Lisronagh with Castlehyde resident Maxios, sire of Cooltobecareless.
Providing Colin Bowe and Barry O’Neill with a quick double on the card, Cooltobecareless who travelled in mid-division until picking up the long time leader, favourite Hot To Go before the last and kept on stoutly to score by a length.
Another graduate of the 2024 Goffs Arkle Sale, the €6,000 bargain purchase is out of a half-sister to the 2014 St Leger and the 2014 Royal Ascot Gold Cup winner Leading Light.
Bowe said afterwards:“He was a cheap purchase and is a grand cheery horse. I thought the ground might be too heavy for him, but he got through it well.”
Maxios, who also sired the second placed horse in the race, Hot To Go, was a smart juvenile when unbeaten as two-year-old. A son of Monsun and a half-brother to European champion 2 and 3 year-old Bago, he has a proven record of producing high class off-spring both on the flat and over obstacles, most notably, the Willie Mullins-trained Grade 1 victor Gaelic Warrior and the Henry De Bromhead-trained Grade 1 winning Quilixios.
Another winning Coolmore prodigy was the Order Of St George-sired Skerry Hill who won the opening four-year-old contest at Farmacaffley on Saturday.
Trained by Cormac Abernethy for Wilson Dennison, debutant Skerry Hill handled the soft underfoot conditions and the stiff uphill finish at the County Armagh track when scoring comfortably by eight lengths under Oran McGill in the three-runner affair. Making most of the running and fencing well throughout the imposing bay gelding showed a nice turn of foot and kept on well to the line.
Skerry Hill was a €40,000 acquisition as a foal at the Tattersalls November sale and was well fancied beforehand by connections, he will now head to the Cheltenham Festival sale next month.
Winning handler Abernethy stated: “I told Oran beforehand he jumps and travels well, so use his jumping to put them under pressure and try and fill him up wherever you can. I really fancied him today and it was plain sailing the whole way round.”
