Beautifully bred Frankel filly among winners as Irish barrier trials resume

Light Of My Eyes, a Frankel two-year-old filly out of brilliant racemare Divine Proportions, was among the 'winners' as Irish EBF barrier trials returned to Dundalk on Wednesday.

The Irish Thoroughbred Marketing initiative, first introduced in 2018, is an important feature of racing in Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong, with the trials in Ireland designed to be a tool for advertising unraced horses to foreign buyers.

Previous graduates include Jessica Harrington's recent Group 3 winner Valeria Messalina and Hong Kong scorers Beauty Happy, Delightful Laos and Shadow Breaker, although their runs in Irish barrier trials do not appear in their form.

Barrier trials had not yet been held in Ireland in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown restrictions, and the event at Dundalk took place under the same Covid-19 protocols as required on regular race days.

Light Of My Eyes was arguably the best-bred winner of the ten heats as the Harrington-trained half-sister to Group 3 scorer Eightfold Path, carrying the silks of her owner and breeder the Niarchos family, expended little effort in coming home first of six runners in a seven-furlong event for two-year-old colts, geldings and fillies.

The first heat for two-year-olds over five furlongs attracted four entries and was 'won' by Stribling, a son of Street Sense and the placed Distorted Humor mare Blue Petrel trained by James Barrett.

Belle Image, a first-crop daughter of Kodi Bear trained by Sheila Lavery, came home ahead of her five rivals in the second heat for two-year-olds over six furlongs in quite impressive fashion.

The third batch of six two-year-olds to be put under their paces, over six furlongs again, was won by Zaffy's Pride, a filly by freshman sire Pride Of Dubai in the care of Harrington.

The Dot Love-trained Slade Power filly Chica Power was first home of her four rivals in the fourth heat, for juveniles over six furlongs once more.

Batch five were the first two-year-olds to go seven furlongs on the day and it was the Joseph O'Brien-trained Zoffany colt Thunder Moon who proved best of the eight entrants by a clear margin.

The next race, with the same conditions, was won by the John McConnell-trained Hot Streak colt A Case Of You by a wide margin, with the Aga Khan's Zoffany colt Razdan catching the eye running on well into second after a poor start.

The eighth barrier trial, again for two-year-olds over seven furlongs, was taken by the Charles O'Brien-trained Kitten's Joy colt Isle Of Sark, with another well-bred filly trained by Harrington for the Niarchos family – Valle De La Luna, by Galileo out of Fiesolana – back in fourth.

The last two heats were for three-year-olds over seven furlongs.

The beautifully bred Bluebeard's Castle, a daughter of War Front and Rockfel Stakes winner Wading from the family of Galileo and Sea The Stars, won the first by daylight for Joseph O'Brien.

Irish Admiral, a John Feane-trained French Navy gelding, took the second.

Full results and timings from the barrier trials are available on the ITM website.

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