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Horseracing

01st Jul 2018

O’Briens dominate again as Curragh festival draws to a close

Niall McIntyre

It’s been some week for the famous O’Brien clan.

After a brilliant three days of racing in the Curragh, the three O’Brien men were again standing tallest of all.

Aidan trained more winners than any other handler over the three days. Joseph landed the biggest race of the whole festival in the Irish Derby and who was on board? Of course it was his younger brother Donnacha.

14/1 shot Latrobe was the thoroughbred of the moment and he was in good spirits out at Joseph’s yard in Owning Hill, county Kilkenny after his triumph on Saturday afternoon.

On Sunday again, it was all about those O’Briens.

Aidan trained three winners, two of them in Group Class races with Ryan Moore aboard for all three of those wins. The pick of the Ballydoyle master’s triumphs was Flag of Honour in the Comer Group International Curragh Cup. Ryan Moore’s mount just about edged Seamie Heffernan’s Giuseppe Garibaldi to take the spoils there.

Meanwhile, son Joseph continued from where he left off on Saturday. 7/1 shot Band of Outlaws was first past the post for Tipperary connections in the 4.05 Premier Handicap race.

The Troytown Handicap brought the successful three days of action to and it was another O’Brien, in the unrelated Richard who saved the best until last.

His charge too good for the rest of them in 1m 2f race.