Duke De Sessa

Duke De Sessa did really well to win the Group 3 Eyrefield Stakes at Leopardstown on Saturday. Settled back in the field early on by Colin Keane, he was last of the 13 runners as they left the back straight. His rider moved him towards the outside as they rounded the home turn, obviously giving away ground but maintaining momentum and ensuring a clear passage on a day on which there was plenty of congestion towards the inside, despite the presence of the cutaway rail. In the end, that could have been crucial, as the Lope De Vega colt built up his momentum down the outside in the home straight, and stayed on strongly to get up and beat Piz Badile by a half a length.

It was a high-class performance by the Dermot Weld-trained colt, in a race that looked like a strong Group 3 race beforehand, with plenty of his rivals apparently well fancied and well supported in the market. Also, it was a race in which the pace held up well, Duke De Sessa was the only one of the hold-up horses who got close, and he actually won the race. It was a welcome return to form by the Newtown Anner Stud’s colt, it consigned his disappointing run in the Group 1 National Stakes at The Curragh on Irish Champions Weekend to the annals. Always highly regarded, he shaped encouragingly on his racecourse debut at the Galway Festival, and he was seriously impressive in winning his maiden at The Curragh in August. He can go into the winter now on the back of this victory with lots of possibilities and options for next season. He could progress to be a top-class three-year-old next season.
Leopardstown, 23^rd October 2021