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McMahon Big Race Double a Huge Breakthrough
20/09/10

Six years since taking over the training licence from his father Brian, Ed McMahon at last announced his arrival on the pattern race scene in spectacular fashion winning not one, but two Group races at Newbury on Saturday in the space of just over an hour, writes Elliot Slater.

Temple Meads
© racing-images.co.uk

McMahon’s Temple Meads, winner of the Newbury Super Sprint over five furlongs at the Berkshire track in July, clearly benefitted from a change of tactics in being held up through the early stages of the Group 2 Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes, the son of Avonbridge making steady headway on the bridle before surging to the front approaching the distance from where he ran on strongly to beat the decent Formosina by a length-and-three-quarters, with Crown Prosecutor back in third.

An elated McMahon was quick to praise winning jockey Richard Mullen and pointed out that the colt’s defeat in the Gimcrack (finished fourth), had been a huge disappointment to all concerned as they genuinely believed he would win. Now the John Fretwell-owned juvenile will step up again and tackle the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket next month.

Astrophysical Jet
© racing-images.co.uk

A little over an hour later and irish racing pundits noted how a dazed McMahon was back in the winners’ enclosure again after his Astrophysical Jet had proved too strong from some speedy rivals in landing the Group 3 Dubai Airport World Trophy. Winner of the Goffs Flying Five at the Curragh three weeks earlier, the three-year-old daughter of stallion sensation Dubawi burst onto the scene inside the furlong and then held on well to beat Golden Destiny by half-a-length.

McMahon suggested that his winner might well be rested now until next season when he expects her to be very competitive at the highest level of horse racing tips in all the top European sprints.