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Aloof springs a shock

The David Wachman trained Aloof, whose two previous career successes were achieved on Dundalk’s polytrack surface, proved a shock 12/1 winner of the Denny Cordell-Lavarack & Lanwades Stud Fillies Stakes in Gowran Park yesterday.

Ridden by Billy Lee, the daughter of Galileo defeated British raider Beatrice Aurore (Johnny Murtagh) by three-quarters of a length to earn a valuable Group 3 bracket.

And, in the absence of winning trainer Wachman, Lee commented: “She’s a nice filly and has run consistently. She needs nice ground and got it today. They went a decent gallop and my filly kept going well. She’s a big filly and has been progressing through the season. I’d say there’s more to come.”

Well-touted before his very encouraging recent debut run at Leopardstown, the Jim Bolger-trained Trading Leather stamped himself an exciting prospect for next season when bolting-up under Kevin Manning in the Powerstown Stud 2-Y-0 Maiden, slamming Shadagann by no less than seven lengths.

The Teofilo colt dictated the pace and stretched clear in the final two furlongs for an impressive win, prompting Bolger’s representative Ger Flynn to explain: “Kevin likes him a lot and said he didn’t realise he was so far clear.

“He’s always shown plenty at home and he seemed to be lengthening all the way to the line. I’m not sure what the plan is, whether he’ll run again before the end of the season. But he should make a smashing three-year-old.”

Stan James reacted to Trading Leather’s performance by introducing him at 20/1 for the 2013 Investec Derby.

In the other flat action, Dermot Weld and Pat Smullen enjoyed minor compensation following the disappointing run of favourite Caponata in the Group 3 feature when ten-race maiden Fastidious landed the finale, the seven-furlong Gowran Park Gold & Leisure Maiden.

Narrowly beaten on a recent visit to Gowran, Fastidious, which carries the colours of Sheikh Mohammed, made all to beat Jim Bolger’s Iveta by almost two lengths.

Former champion apprentice Emmet McNamara registered his first win since losing his claim when the Shane Buggy-trained Core Element, second at Laytown last time captured the Gowran Park Apprentice Handicap.

Winner of the Galway Plate last year and far from convincing when scoring at Kilbeggan last time, the Willie Mulins-trained Blazing Tempo followed-up in the Paulstown Mares Hurdle. Reunited with Ruby Walsh, the nine-year-old made every yard of the running and kept going well to beat Burn And Turn by a length and a half, with the flattering Clarach third.

Willie Mullins was full of praise for Mrs Susannah Ricci’s mare stating: “She has a huge appetite for racing and our dilemma now is whether to stay hurdling or go back over fences with her.

“Although it might come a bit too soon, she might come back here for the (Grade 2) Gowran Park Champion Chase in a couple of weeks (on Friday, October 6).”

The arrival of god ground and a step-up to two-and-a-half miles proved crucial for the Tom Taaffe-trained Defence Of Duress in the opening Thomastown Maiden Hurdle, in which hurdling debutant Tasitiocht fell at the fourth.

Defence Of Duress edged past Ring Ben on the run-in to score by a neck and Taaffe intimated that he’ll see how the handicapper rates the Motivator gelding before making plans for him.

Local trainer Eoin Griffin enjoyed a welcome success when Norther Bay, enterprisingly ridden by Eddie O’Connell, proved another successful front-runner, landing the Gowran Park Handicap Hurdle at the expense of Rodriguez. Home

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