Off the board in just two of his ten starts in a busy 2020, the two-year-old Pride Of Dubai colt Flying Visit needed to call on all his courage to defeat the Duawi colt Wuqood by a head in Saturdays Eyrefield Stakes (9f) at Leopardstown.
It was a further three-quarter of a length back to the favoured Galileo colt Carlisle Bay in third.
A homebred for Jim Bolger, Flying Visit completed a magical hour for the champion trainer after landing the Group 1 Vertem Futurity Trophy at Doncaster with another homebred, the New Approach colt Mac Swiney.
It was a deserved change of luck for Flying Visit who had been runner-up three times since famously breaking his maiden by six lengths at Listowel after veering across the track.
Flying Visit was ridden by Luke McAteer who was having his first ride in a Group III.
“He was a bit more straight-forward today. Kevin told me, if I could, to win without the stick as he felt he was resenting it a bit,” McAteer told Irishracing.com.
“He stuck at it well, in fairness. I'm just delighted, it's a great day for the whole team with the Group 1 winner in England as well.
“I'm very grateful for the chances I've had. That's 25 winners for the season and it's been a great year.”
Flying Visit is the best of three winners from five to race out of the Teofilo mare Fionnuar whose dam Six Nations (Danzig) is a sister to Chief’s Crown.
Flying Visit is the fifth northern hemisphere bred stakes winner and seventh in total for last seasons leading first-crop sire Pride Of Dubai (Street Cry).
