Gatsby second G1 winner for Mastercraftsman on red-letter day

Three hours after enjoying a first-crop Classic success, Mastercraftsman sired another outstanding G1 winner on Saturday when The Grey Gatsby (3c Mastercraftsman-Marie Vison, by Entrepreneur) took the G1 QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown.

Ryan Moore came with a well-timed run on the French Derby winner to get up from Australia (3c Galileo-Ouija Board, by Cape Cross).

Mastercraftsman had earlier been responsible for the G1 St Leger winner at Doncaster, Kingston Hill (3c Mastercraftsman-Audacieuse, by Rainbow Quest).

“The Grey Gatsby is a great racehorse and I'm very proud of him and I've felt all along that he's never gotten the credit he deserves. If he doesn't now, it will be unbelievable as the horse has done his own talking,” commented winning trainer Kevin Ryan.

“Ryan went out with a plan; he thought they would go very hard so he was going to hang on to him. I said to him 'that is plan A' but if he had to revert to plan B or C, so be it, but you don't tell Ryan Moore how to ride a horse!

“He's a horse that has taken us on a great journey - both me and the owner - and he'll stay in training next year. He won't go to the Arc but could go to Ascot on QIPCO British Champions’ day.”

The Grey Gatsby, who was bred by Malcolm Parrish, was bought by agent Stephen Hillen for owner Frank Gillespie for 120,000 euros as a two-year-old at Arqana.