Bear Story made it back-to-back wins in the Diamond Stakes at Dundalk on Friday with a brave win under Ronan Whelan. In a competitive renewal that featured a host of Group winners, Bear Story assumed a prominent position and was always doing enough to hold off Freescape for a cosy score.
He continues a good run for Kodiac, who has also been represented in recent weeks by the classy two-year-old Zarinsk and currently lies in seventh on the European leading sires' list.
"It was a very strong renewal of the race, in fairness," trainer Michael Halford told Irishracing.com.
"This horse has matured a lot this year and, in fairness, he really deserved a race. He had run some wonderful races and he was carrying a 3lb penalty all year. He was just getting chinned.
"The weights were in his favour today and he loves that surface, he floats on it. He was guaranteed to go on it where some of the others might not.
"I'm thrilled for his owner Johnny Connaughton, he bred him and he stayed with him.
"He has a great will to win - when the other horse (Freescape) came on terms with him, he had the beating of him, but he stuck his neck out."
Bear Story was bred by John Connaughton out of the winning Angels Story, a Galileo half-sister to top Hong Kong performer Dunboyne Express.
