Just days after celebrating a big victory at Monmouth Park in New Jersey as breeders of the progressive Sea The Stars daughter Maman Joon, who scored an emphatic victory in the Listed Violet Strakes, the Kieswetter family’s County Tipperary based Barnane Stud teamed up with Owen Heffer as owners of the Night Of Thunder filly Greatest Drama.
The progressive filly showed genuine courage and resolve at her second start to win Gowran Park’s opening Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden run over 1400m on Tuesday afternoon.
Greatest Drama (Ben Coen) wins the Irish Stallion farms EBF Fillies Maiden (Pic – Healy Racing)
Starting at 11-4 after a smart debut in mixed sex company, the daughter of Night Of Thunder got the better of the persistent favourite Mint Candy by a short head in a good win for trainer Johnny Murtagh and jockey Ben Coen.
A delighted Murtagh said afterwards that his charge had worked well during the week.
“We thought that she had a chance after having a good run against the colts and that looked a very good race, so we were coming here with a bit of confidence. Ben (Coen) said she’s still a bit green, is still learning on the job and hopefully there is a bit more to come. I’ll have a chat with the owners and she should be able to do one more this year. It was a good battle to the line, and she should have learned plenty today. I’m delighted for the owners who have supported us over the last couple of years.”
The winner is by Kildangan Park’s Dubawi stallion Night Of Thunder, who is having a terrific season with Ombudsman his fourteenth Black Type winner of the year so far when his progressive son flew home to record his first Black Type victory in the Listed Prix Nureyev at Deauville, France on Sunday 11 August. He also has Economics, who was the easy winner of the Gr2 Dante Stakes and Fairy Godmother, a Gr3-juvenile winning filly, amongst the highlights of his year.
Greatest Drama is out of Sweet Acclaim, a daughter of Acclamation out of the Deputy Minister mare Wildsplash.
