Ger Lyons has been on the up-and-up for a while and it was only a matter of time before he started to trade equal blows with some of the bigger traditional stables in Ireland, with Medicine Jack doing the yard proud in this important staging post. Third on debut behind the subsequently listed-placed Lundy (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) over this trip at Leopardstown May 8, the chestnut was sixth behind Mehmas (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) and Global Applause (GB) (Mayson {GB}) in Newbury's valuable Olympic Glory Conditions S. six days later prior to a 4 1/2-length maiden success over just shy of this trip at Navan last time May 28.
Sporting owner Sean Jones's first colours and picked by stable jockey Colin Keane over the more obvious contender on form King Electric (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}), he was always happy behind the pace as many of his rivals ran too free including Ballydoyle's Peace Envoy and the other joint market-leader Dream of Dreams who missed the break into the bargain. As the latter tanked to the front passing the quarter pole, Medicine Jack was committed and duly swept by that rival with just over a furlong remaining. Peace Envoy was his biggest threat down towards the stand's rail and despite that colt trying his hardest to give Aidan O'Brien a 13th renewal it was the Lyons runner who stayed on strongest out wide to prevail. “He's not a bad little horse and has shown plenty at home,” his rider said. “He won well at Navan and we fancied him today. He travels for fun and when he got there he was game–he did it the hard way and showed professionalism.”
Lyons, who also has the highly-regarded G2 Coventry S. third Psychedelic Funk (GB) (Choisir {Aus}) to call upon this season, added, “He's a very straightforward horse and like Psychedelic Funk has a great temperament. He took all the hullabaloo in his stride there and did what we had been seeing at home and that's all he can do. He wasn't ready for Newbury and is still not where I want him to be yet, but the trip away might not have done him any harm and actually may have put him right for this. He's strong-looking, but not where I want him. You haven't got Ballydoyle beat until they are beat and we have to muscle down and do it. Thankfully, we've got a few horses this year to do it with and two lovely colts to go to war with. We can't run away from Caravaggio (Scat Daddy), who is exceptional, and it would lovely to win a race like the [G1] Dewhurst [S. at Newmarket Oct. 8] with one of these two and have a potential Guineas horse to go into the winter with. The Guineas is on my bucket list.”
Medicine Jack, who is a half-brother to the Listed Snowdrop Fillies' S. winner Agony and Ecstasy, is a grandson of a half-sister to the G1 Aral Pokal heroine Wind In Her Hair (Ire) (Alzao). Her much greater claim to fame is as the dam of Japan's ground-breaking Deep Impact (Jpn), with the third dam being Burghclere (GB) (Busted {GB}), a half-sister to the champion and amazing producer Height of Fashion (Fr). Other members of this particular branch of an excellent family which crosses continents are the sires Jeremy and Yehudi (Ire), while the GIII Royal Heroine S. winner Magic Mission (GB) (Machiavellian) is the dam of Godolphin's Talismanic (GB) (Medaglia d'Oro), who ran well enough in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club earlier this month to suggest he can write his own chapter into it.
Saturday, Curragh, Ireland
GAIN RAILWAY S.-G2, €115,000, CUR, 6-25, 2yo, 6fT, 1:13.20, yl.
1–#@MEDICINE JACK (GB), 129, c, 2, by Equiano (Fr)
1st Dam: Agony Aunt (GB), by Formidable
2nd Dam: Loch Clair (Ire), by Lomond
3rd Dam: Burghclere (GB), by Busted (GB)
(10,000gns Wlg '14 TATFOA; €28,000 Ylg '15 TISEP). O-Sean Jones; B-Downfield Cottage Stud (GB); T-Ger Lyons; J-Colin Keane. €67,850. Lifetime Record: 4-2-0-1, $88,726. *1/2 to Agony and Ecstasy (GB) (Captain Rio {GB}), SW-Eng & SP-Fr. Werk Nick Rating: C+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Peace Envoy (Fr), 129, c, 2, Power (GB)–Hoh My Darling (GB), by Dansili (GB). (€125,000 Ylg '15 AR15). O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Team Hogdala AB (FR); T-Aidan O'Brien. €23,000.
3–Dream of Dreams (Ire), 129, c, 2, Dream Ahead–Vasilia (GB), by Dansili (GB). (37,000gns Wlg '14 TATFOA; £44,000 RNA Ylg '15 DNPRM). O-Saeed Suhail; B-Prostock Ltd (IRE); T-Kevin Ryan. €11,500.
Margins: HF, 1HF, 3/4. Odds: 6.00, 1.75, 1.75.
Also Ran: King Electric (Ire), Ready to Roc (Ire), Mirdif (GB), Grand Coalition (Ire), Glenamoy Lad (GB). Scratched: War Decree. Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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