Limerick jockey Billy Lee continues his winning streak as the flat season heats up

A ROYAL Ascot success may have escaped him but Billy Lee was a big winner on the home front when riding a double at Leopardstown on Thursday, a treble at Down Royal on Friday and another winner at the same venue on Saturday afternoon.

He was successful on two market leaders at the Dublin track and both horses scored with something in hand. Two lengths was the winning margin as he took the opening seven-furlong auction series race on the Andy Oliver-trained Orchidaceae. A winner at the Curragh last month, the 100/30 joint-favourite shot made all the running to win in fine style from her fellow favourite Deo Vero, trained by Donnacha O’Brien.

Lee completed his double on the 4/1 favourite Ferrybank in the eight-furlong handicap. Trained by Ted Walsh for his wife Helen, the six-year-old notched up his fifth career win and his second at the Dublin track with a one and a quarter-length victory over the Luke Comer-trained Rio Largo, a 9/2 chance.

It was a similar story at Down Royal 24 hours later where Lee shared a double with County Meath trainer Jack Davison before adding a third winner for the trainer’s near neighbour Edward Lynam. The Ballingarry jockey had an easy time of it on the 6/5 favourite Shamrock Breeze in the opening five-furlong maiden for two-year-olds. Owned by Shamrock Thoroughbreds, she made all the running to beat the Jessica Harrington-trained Billie Be Quick by three and a quarter lengths. The 7/4 favourite She’s Quality scored a taking success of her own in the fillies’ handicap over the same distance. She went clear inside the final furlong to beat Johnny Feane’s Greek Flower by two and three-parts of a length in the colours of the Quality Time Racing Syndicate, a second career double for the trainer.

Much to the delight of punters, Lee completed a fine night’s work on the Edward Lynam-trained Keke in the five-furlong handicap for older horses. The four-year-old added to his recent Navan success when coming with a late run to pip Patrick McKenna’s Cuban Grey by a neck at odds of 9/4 favourite. Wesley Joyce also made the most of his opportunities at the meeting and he came away with back-to-back winners for trainers Mick Mulvany and Kevin Smith. Emotions ran high as Joyce scored on the seven-year-old Red Heel in the seven-furlong handicap. He was badly injured in a fall from the same horse at the Galway festival in 2022. The partnership scored an easy success as the Mulvany-trained 11/2 chance made all the running to beat Ger O’Leary’s 2/1 favourite Giuseppe Cassioli by two and a half lengths for owner/breeder Aidan Archdeacon.

The same tactics saw Joyce and Smith score with 8/1 shot Blue Wood in the concluding handicap over the same distance. Owned and bred by Peadar Kelly, the eight-year-old was very much on top as he beat The Stray Sod, ridden for John McConnell by Siobhan Rutledge, by three and a quarter lengths.

Lee notched up his fifth success of the week when partnering the Henry de Bromhead-trained Magical Zoe to win the concluding 13-furlong maiden at Down Royal on Saturday afternoon. The 1/4 favourite led inside the final furlong to beat the Jessica Harrington-trained Stariam by two and a quarter lengths for owners Patrick and Scott Bryceland. Four of Lee’s winners were clear favourites and one was a joint-favourite.

Chris Hayes rode a winner in front of a more local crowd as the Dermot Weld-trained Harbour Wind landed a narrow success in the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Martin Molony Stakes at Limerick on Saturday. The four-year-old, in action for the first time since September, battled well when challenged by Joseph O’Brien’s Dancing Tornado to score by a shorthead at odds of 6/5 favourite and his trainer has the Melbourne Cup in mind for the Moyglare Stud-owned winner.

Elsewhere, there were five Irish winning trainers at Royal Ascot last week and typically Aidan O’Brien led the way with six successes. Ryan Moore partnered Auguste Rodin, star stayer Kyprios, Illinois, Port Fairy and the two-year-olds Fairy Godmother and Bedtime Story to bring O’Brien’s tally at the meeting to a record 91 and he was the meeting’s leading trainer for the 13th time. For good measure, his sons Joseph and Donnacha also saddled winners.

Joesph won the concluding Queen Alexandra Stakes with Uxmal, a first Royal Ascot winner for Dylan Browne McMonagle, while Donnacha landed a more notable victory as Porta Fortuna, also a winner at last year’s meeting, returned to take the Group 1 Coronation Stakes.

Willie Mullins gained a 10th Royal Ascot winner as Belloccio took the Copper Horse Handicap following on from Vauban’s win for the stable in the same race 12 months ago.

In the well-known colours of the Wear A Pink Ribbon Syndicate, Crystal Black won the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes for Trim father and son, Gerry and Colin Keane. It was a first runner at the meeting for Gerry Keane who has also won four Curragh handicaps with the six-year-old who joined him from trainer Dermot Weld in October 2022. A total of 21 of the 35 winners at Royal Ascot were bred in Ireland.

Upcoming Fixtures

Naas – Wednesday, June 26 (First Race 5.30pm)

Curragh – Friday, June 28 (First Race 5pm)

Curragh – Saturday, June 29 (First Race 1.15pm)

Curragh – Sunday, June 30 (First Race 1.10pm)