Furner's Green lands Leopardstown 2,000 Guineas Trial Stakes
Furner's Green outpaced his three opponents to seal an easy win in the Leopardstown 2,000 Guineas Trial Stakes, held on Sunday, April 15th.
Although both Vault and Tiger At Heart performed reasonably well, the real clash was between Akeed Wafi and Furner's Green.
The latter was enjoying the highest starting price of 4 to 6, whereas Akeed Wafi was declared the 7-4 second favourite ahead of the competition.
On a good ground, the 1-mile event started at 14:55 GMT. Soon after the beginning, Furner's Green established his dominance which he retained till the final line.
After tracking the leaders early on, A. P. O'Brien’s trainee shifted his gears to take a handsome lead ahead of the final few furlongs.
His supremacy was challenged by Akeed Wafi, but the champion runner managed to secure the top position by 2¾ lengths.
Akeed Wafi tried his best to outsmart his Irish rival, but all went in vain. The John M Oxx-trained perked up his speed to put pressure on Furner's Green, but remained unsuccessful in doing so. Consequently, he could only seize
the runner-up spot.
Furner's Green’s stable mate, Vault, ended up third by four and a half lengths. He made a terrific start and led the proceedings in the early hours. However, he failed to protect his advantage and was soon surpassed by the top
duo.
Likewise, Tiger At Heart was unable to do anything special and as a result, completed the order of finish. J. S. Bolger’s trainee missed the third position by 3¾ lengths.
A cash prize of £25,729.17 was given to triumphant, whereas the runner-up pocketed a purse worth £7,520.83. O'Brien was delighted over his colt’s tremendous effort. He said after the race:
“He had a lovely run here first time and just came there the first day and got a bit tired. We always thought he was going to be a Guineas, French Derby type of horse as he travels and quickens well.”
It was a welcome win for Furner's Green, who remained unlucky last time out. At the end of last month, the three-year-old narrowly missed the victory at the same venue.
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