The GAIN Railway Stakes
Group 2, Curragh 15:05
€120,000 guaranteed,
2yo only, 6f   
Saturday 25th June 2022

1 Shartash 9/1
2 Blackbeard 5/6F
3 Apache Outlaw 22/1
6 ran Distances: shd, 1¼l, ½l
Time: 1m 14.44s (slow by 3.74s)

A winner last time out at Naas, Johnny Murtagh's Shartash, in the famous Aga Khan colours, was nevertheless a big drifter in the betting and was sent off at 9-1.

Aidan O’Brien’s Blackbeard was sent off the 5-6 favourite having finished fourth in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot and Ryan Moore was always to the fore.

Ben Coen on Shartash must have had one or two brief thoughts that he was going to be locked up with nowhere to go a furlong out as he was trapped between horses.

However, a gap appeared just in time and Shartash quickened up smartly to catch Blackbeard just in time.

The pair flashed across the line together but Shartash got the verdict by a short head to be given a 33-1 quote for next year’s Guineas by Betfair.

Murtagh said: “These colours have been very lucky to me throughout my career. We’ve had some great days.

“For His Highness to send us horses was special and to win the Railway Stakes is a great day for the team. He’s a nice horse that is improving all the time and he had to be brave today.

“Ben says he has a good turn of foot and the good ones have a turn of foot. Ben said he wasn’t in a great position, but when he got into the gap he quickened up well.

“After he won in Naas we thought this race would really suit him well. We freshened him up and it’s great when it all comes together.

“He’s in the Phoenix Stakes.”

GAIN Railway Stakes (Group 2)
€120,000 guaranteed, 2yo only, 6f
6 ran
Going: Good, Good to Yielding in places

POS. (DRAW) DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 (1) 31 Shartash 49 D 2 9-5 J P Murtagh Ben Coen 9/1
2 (6) 1114 Blackbeard 2 9-5 A P O'Brien Ryan Moore 5/6F
3 (5) 321 Apache Outlaw 2 9-5 Joseph O'Brien Declan McDonogh 22/1
4 (4) 217 Age Of Kings 2 9-5 A P O'Brien Wayne Lordan 5/1
5 (2) 46 Borletti 2 9-5 Andrew Slattery Andrew Slattery 150/1
6 (3) 1223 Crispy Cat 2 9-5 M D O'Callaghan Rossa Ryan 3/1