Kairyu remains unbeaten with Anglesey win

Gary Carson
July 22, 2023 1:57 pm

Michael O’Callaghan’s youngster could be off on her travels.

A trip to York could be next on the agenda for Kairyu after she kept her unbeaten record intact in the Jebel Ali Racecourse And Stables Anglesey Stakes at the Curragh.

A clear-cut winner on her racecourse debut at Naas last month, Michael O’Callaghan’s filly was a 4-1 shot for this six-and-a-half-furlong Group Three under Colin Keane.

Pearls And Rubies, the 10-11 favourite after being beaten a head by Snellen in the Chesham at Royal Ascot last month, was under pressure some way from home – and while she responded to Ryan Moore’s urgings to get into second place, Kairyu had a length and a quarter in hand at the line.

O’Callaghan said: “She looks very smart. Colin said she doesn’t want that ground, it was plenty soft, and she was just good and tough.

“He said she has a savage turn of foot where she can go and put a race to bed. He said the gaps sort of appeared a little bit before he wanted them.

“She’s a lovely filly. I was thinking about going to the Duchess of Cambridge at Newmarket last week but I just wasn’t 100 per cent happy with her work so we just waited another week.

“Colin thinks she’ll be better on better ground and she’ll probably go for something like the Lowther (at York) now.

“She’s still a little bit high behind and she’s going to grow plenty so she could potentially be a very nice filly.”