Orandi sprints home for Irish Lincolnshire honours

Tony Martin’s Orandi came with a powerful late charge to take top honours in the Nua Healthcare Irish Lincolnshire at the Curragh.

Shane Foley had a wall of horses in front of him two furlongs out but once negotiating a route around them, his mount made an immediate and decisive move forward.

Kortez Bay also came through to the front at a similar point and the pair put plenty of daylight between them and the main pack, but Orandi proved the stronger to score by three-quarters of a length at 10-1.

Smooth Tom finished just under five lengths back in third, with Indigo Five and the well-backed Gleneagle Bay faring best of the rest in the €100,000 mile contest.

Orandi certainly was not winning out of turn after being placed in his final six starts last season and had worked well in a recent racecourse gallop.

Martin said: “We were fortunate to have a very good rider on the day and it all worked out.

“He was always missing the break, but he rode him twice last year and was confident he would get him out sharp, which he did today.

“Originally, Wayne Hassett was to ride him and there were cross communications, which was unfortunate for him and fortunate for Foley. I thought 5lb would be a big help, but it worked out well.

“He did a sparkling bit of work at Leopardstown a few weeks ago.

“When he ran here last year, we said we’d put him by for the English one or this race. He does want a dig in it and that’s why he doesn’t run during the summer.

“The jockey was excellent as he broke sharp and the pace was strong, so he gave him a chance. Throughout the race, you’d be confident that he’d run well and we were just hoping there wouldn’t be one or two better than him.

“He’s in the English Lincoln but I doubt if he’ll run. He was ready to peak there today, and we’ll probably sit on our laurels for a while.”