Race To Watch / Timeform / 01 July 2009 / Leave a comment

The Kildare Village European Breeders Fund Maiden, run on soft ground at the Curragh on 26th June, contained a number of highly-regarded unraced two-year-olds from top stables. The race has a rich tradition of throwing up Group One performers, with the likes of Horatio Nelson, Brian Boru and Duke of Marmalade, and it also looks likely that several of the 2009 field will be performing at a much higher level in future, writes Timeform.

Kevin Prendergast's Kingsfort won in highly impressive fashion, travelling smoothly and putting the race to bed in a matter of strides. He is clearly highly regarded, having been well backed in the morning and described by Prendergast as a 'very smart horse', with a target of the Group One National stakes back over course and distance in September. That race has a great history of producing top-class performers, such as Sinndar, George Washington and New Approach, and with plenty of progress likely having been given a 'P' for his performance, it will be a surprise if Kingsfort doesn't prove smart, at the very least.

Runner-up Stunning View trained by Dermot Weld also posted a promising debut effort, travelling well and staying on to finish four-and-a-half lengths clear of the third. Relatively easy to back, there is highly likely to be improvement next time, with a maiden success a formality on this performance, and Stunning View may well be able to make his mark in pattern races later in the season.

Aidan O'Brien clearly likes to send some of his better two-year-olds to this maiden, with the aforementioned Horatio Nelson, Duke of Marmalade and Brian Boru landing the prize before posting Group One successes later in their careers. He ran the unraced Viscount Nelson in this years race, a half-brother to Horatio Nelson, who came into the race with a big reputation, having been entered at the five-day stage for the Group Two Railway stakes, and going off the 2-1 favourite. Having displayed signs of greenness when outpaced at halfway, Viscount Nelson stuck on well to grab third near the line, and appears as a sure-fire maiden winner who is highly-likely to be up to pattern level.

Another top trainer, Jim Bolger, supplied the fourth home in the well-bred Shintoh, a half-brother to July stakes winner Ivan Denisovich. Another highly-regarded colt, having been entered in the Group Two Railway stakes at the five-day stage, Shintoh disputed the lead before being finishing a clear fourth, six lengths ahead of the Aidan O'Brien trained second-string, At First Sight. Shintoh who was restless in the stalls, is bound to come on plenty for the experience.