By Tom Frary
Killarney's opening mile maiden has often been a rich font of smart runners and it was Bond Thoroughbred's City Of Dubai (Mehmas) who proved strongest on Monday.
One of five newcomers tackling the 30-100 favourite Oklahoma (Wootton Bassett) in the race won in recent times by Benvenuto Cellini and Anthony Van Dyck, the 8-1 joint-second favourite put the pressure on Ballydoyle's full-brother to Hawk Mountain from the outset as they dominated from the front. Edging ahead from the furlong pole, the Paddy Twomey-trained half-brother to the Group 3 winner Bear Story had half a length to spare over Juddmonte's eye-catching Francillon (Frankel) at the line, with the same margin separating Juddmonte's son of the Matriarch Stakes heroine Viadera (Bated Breath) and Oklahoma in third.
“He's a horse we loved in the spring, but we went a bit weak and we had to back off and he's really come to himself in the last couple of weeks,” jockey Billy Lee said. “We went even and I had plenty of horse underneath me in the straight. He'll improve for this.”
Twomey said, “He had really come forward and he has ability and is a lovely horse. There is a good history in the race and if we can be half as good as some of the previous winners, I'd be happy. He's a big scopey horse with a staying pedigree. He'll get a mile and a quarter no problem, so next year we might have a nice horse.”
In a race won by future Derby winners Benvenuto Cellini and Anthony Van Dyck, €260,000 buy City Of Dubai (Mehmas) downs Oklahoma in the July Festival opener for @ptwomeyracing @KillarneyRaces pic.twitter.com/Pu1eV3xwGX
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 13, 2026
The dam Angels Story (Galileo), who is responsible for Kodiac's dual Diamond Stakes winner and Mooresbridge runner-up Bear Story, is a daughter of Love Excelling (Polish Precedent) who produced Shamardal's top-class dual Singapore Airlines International Cup and Champions Mile-winning Hong Kong runner Dunboyne Express and the Futurity Trophy-placed Sissoko by Galileo's son Australia.
Love Excelling is a half-sister to the Oaks heroine Love Divine (Diesis), Galileo's St Leger-winning sire Sixties Icon and Shamardal's Listed scorer Dark Promise who produced the Group 3 winner Carolina Reaper (Too Darn Hot). Angels Story's yearling colt is by Space Blues.
1st-Killarney, €22,000, Mdn, 7-13, 2yo, 8f 20yT, 1:44.61, gd.
CITY OF DUBAI (IRE) (c, 2, Mehmas {Ire}–Angels Story {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) Sales history: €260,000 Ylg '25 GOFORY. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $15,054. O-Bond Thoroughbred Limited; B-John Connaughton; T-Paddy Twomey.
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