Merriebelle Irish Farm Ltd

Aidan O'Brien annexed the last three editions of the Curragh's Sky Bet Club Irish EBF Maiden--with Amadeus Mozart, Henri Matisse and Unquestionable--and made it four in a row when Aix La Chapelle (Justify), a son of dual Group 1 winner Immortal Verse (Pivotal), pounced in the closing stages of the seven-furlong contest. "They were horses that we were getting out in case they were [Listed] Chesham horses and we're delighted with him," O'Brien commented. "They went along there and he did well as he was never away [from home] and...

Representatives of Wootton Bassett's first Coolmore crop continued their plunder of elite-level contests with last term's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf hero Henri Matisse doubling his tally at the top table and registering a narrow victory, in track-record time, from Juddmonte's TDN Rising Star Jonquil (Lope De Vega) in Sunday's G1 Emirates Poule d'Essai des Poulains at ParisLongchamp. The 12-5 favourite was positioned many lengths off the tempo as a group of five stole a march on the remainder of the field through halfway. Bustled along to reduce arrears upon...

Ballydoyle representative Henri Matisse (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}--Immortal Verse {Ire}, by Pivotal {GB}) finished the right side of a short-head verdict tackling six furlongs at the Curragh in May and pounced late over the same course and distance to garner a record-equalling 14th renewal of Sunday's G2 GAIN Railway Stakes for Aidan O'Brien. The victory moved O'Brien alongside legendary former Ballydoyle incumbent Vincent O'Brien on the honours board. The Aug. 10 G1 Phoenix Stakes and Sept. 15 G1 Vincent O'Brien National Stakes entry was sluggish from the traps and trailed...