Racing: Spencer and O'Brien start season in style

Best Mate and Cheltenham 2004 are just four days in the history books but the very nature of this galloping show is that there is barely time to catch the breath and savour a moment before the next event is upon us. Over the weekend the Flat suddenly arrived, with the message that it looks like business as usual. Both Godolphin and Ballydoyle scored with their first runners of the European campaign.

At the Curragh yesterday, Jamie Spencer made the perfect start to his association with Aidan O'Brien by winning the first race of the new Irish season, a five-furlong juvenile maiden, on Russian Blue. The heavy underfoot conditions were more redolent of a jump meeting but the son of Danehill, the 5-4 favourite, coped well and was never headed, coming in three lengths clear of the only rival able to produce any sort of challenge, Shamoan.

Russian Blue, carrying Robert Sangster's colours, was following in some famous hoof prints in giving O'Brien his sixth consecutive success in the contest. The previous three winners have been Colossus, Tomahawk and Rock Of Gibraltar, no less. "Russian Blue is a lovely horse," O'Brien said. "Jamie rode him very positively and said he got a nice feel from him."

There was no further joy, though, for Spencer - who is second favourite, at 7-4 with Ladbrokes, for the Irish jockeys' title behind the man whom he replaced in the Co Tipperary hot-seat, 4-5 shot Mick Kinane - and his new masters during the afternoon. The baby-faced Irishman took third place behind Jim Bolger's 1,000 Guineas and Oaks entry Alexander Goldrun on Royal Tigress in the listed fillies' event, came in seventh to Tolpuddle on Twentytwoandchange in the Irish Lincoln, and had to settle for the runner-up spot on debutante Last Love behind the John Oxx-trained Dabiroun, also appearing for the first time, in the closing mile three-year-old maiden.

Dabiroun, an Aga Khan-bred son of Desert Prince from the close family of Darshaan, pinched four lengths two furlongs out under Fran Berry and although Last Love, another by the late Danehill, made headway to take second from Eldorado close home, she was still two cosy lengths adrift at the line. The trio were a long way clear of their floundering rivals.

The winner has a Derby entry and the runner-up has engagements in the two premier filly Classics but some with more obvious claims to top-level glory appeared after racing. O'Brien brought a group that included One Cool Cat and Yeats, market leaders respectively for the 2,000 Guineas and Derby, for one of his regular racecourse workout awaydays.

"The plan is to go straight to the Guineas [with One Cool Cat]," O'Brien said afterwards. "I'm very happy with the fitness levels, just trying to get them relaxed. It's a day out for them."

Barry Geraghty, the champion Irish jump jockey-elect, put a Flat winner on his cv by scoring on the Donie Hassett-trained Native Scout, the 11-10 favourite, in the Jockeys Challenge Handicap. And at Downpatrick, Barry Cash, who notched his first Cheltenham winner on Brave Inca in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle, carved out another piece of history when riding the first winner on a Sunday in Northern Ireland, on the Arthur Moore-trained What Perk.

Rosencrans, who provided the last leg of a 486-1 treble for Frankie Dettori at Lingfield on Saturday (track-record-breaking sprinter No Time and Italian-trained Winter Derby winner Caluki were the others), was the advance guard of a Godolphin strike-force that will form the Dubai-based team's largest-ever European invasion. Between 180 and 200 bearers of the blue silks will be flying in to the operation's new headquarters in Newmarket next month.

Both Rosencrans and his half-length runner-up Fokine, narrowly beaten in last year's Gimcrack Stakes, hold the 2,000 Guineas engagement. Fokine, trained by Barry Hills for Sangster, impressed in defeat on his seasonal debut from a wide draw at his first try on dirt.

* Wolverhampton is to replace its Fibresand course with a Polytrack surface this summer. Ian Renton, of Arena Leisure, said: "Polytrack is without doubt the best racing surface in the world, and has been a fantastic success at Lingfield Park."

RICHARD EDMONDSON

Nap: Petrula

(Wetherby 3.00)

NB: Mrs Cube

(Wolverhampton 4.35)