By Tom Frary
Leopardstown's Saturday card belonged to Aidan O'Brien and Jack Cleary and their winning sequence included a bright prospect for the 2025 Classics in Christmas Day (Camelot) in the nine-furlong G3 Mongey Communications Eyrefield Stakes. Coming off a maiden win at Gowran Park last month, the 13-2 shot was delivered from the pack to deny A Boy Named Susie (Starspangledbanner) on the line and prevail by a short head.
“He's progressed from run to run and he took great confidence from the win the last day,” Ballydoyle's representative Chris Armstrong explained. “He was tough at the finish. Jack gave him a lovely ride, that's his first Group winner and he's having an unbelievable year.”
“He's another one that will hopefully winter well and come back for a trial in the spring,” he added of the winner, who had shaped with promise when third behind stablemate Action at Galway only to backtrack on his second start when fifth at Tipperary. “Hopefully he makes up into a nice middle-distance horse for next year. Jack said he has grown up a lot since the last day. He's come on nicely at home and we knew he was coming here with a chance. He was tough at the business end.”
WHAT. A. FINISH.
🎅 Christmas Day narrowly denies A Boy Named Susie in the Group Three Mongey Communications Eyrefield Stakes..!
Three races, three winners for Aidan O'Brien so far today @LeopardstownRC 👀 pic.twitter.com/p3rkI2cVyy
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) October 18, 2025
Pedigree Notes
Christmas Day, who kicked off a Group-race double for his sire, is a son of the Stakes winner Beauly (Sea The Stars) who has produced the triple Grade III winner Missed The Cut (Quality Road). The
second dam Pickle (Piccolo), who also captured two at that level, is responsible for Oasis Dream's four-times Listed-winning sire Gusto. Also connected to that sire's Jersey Stakes-winning Gale Force Ten and the Moyglare Stud Stakes heroine Bianca Nera (Salse), Beauly has a colt foal by Wootton Bassett to come.
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