With the victory in the Leopardstown Porsche In Support Of Breast Cancer Ireland Amethyst Stakes, Bold Discovery achieved unprecedented success.
The four-year-old's CV from the previous season showed Listed form from the Celebration Stakes, but when he advanced in class towards the end of the season, he was unplaced.
After resolving some health concerns and gelding the horse, Jessica Harrington, the trainer, sent him to Leopardstown to begin his campaign at the Group Three level over a mile.
He had a 5-1 shot under Shane Foley, and he lived up to his preparation during the winter as he won by a half-length and secured his Royal Ascot ticket.
“We’re delighted with that, he’s a horse that’s always promised an awful lot and we’ve held him in very high regard,” said Kate Harrington, assistant trainer to her mother. “He had an allergy issue last year, it turned out he was allergic to grass. When he got his good to firm ground in the Curragh he was very good. We went hunting a bit afterwards with him but we never got our ground. Fair play to Marc (Chan, owner) and Jamie McCalmont as they said ‘why don’t we geld him?’ and we actually did a kissing spine operation on him as well. He was only just ready to start there today and I think we should have a really exciting season ahead with him. We’ll go to Royal Ascot next with him for the Wolferton Stakes. We didn’t put him in the Queen Anne. I wasn’t too bothered if we did finish second today as then he wouldn’t have had a penalty for Ascot but now he will!”