Bankrobber fancied to steal victory

By Pat Keane

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

BANKROBBER is fancied to lighten the bookmakers’ satchels by landing the Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Median Auction Maiden at Fairyhouse tonight.

He will be partnered by the excellent Keagan Latham and should prove hard to beat. The selection performed with promise first time out at Dundalk and then stepped well up on that effort on this track subsequently.

Ger Lyons’ colt was beaten two and a half lengths into second by Aidan O’Brien’s Emperor Claudius, in a contest which has been working out well.

Emperor Claudius went on to produce a cracking effort at Royal Ascot, beaten a short head by Richard Hannon’s Big Audio in the Listed Chesham Stakes.

Then there was a further boost to the form when Miracle Match, three and a half lengths adrift of Bankrobber in third at Fairyhouse, went on to score easily at Naas last week.

Lyons and Latham can also take the Listed Golden Fleece Stakes Race with the relatively experienced Perfect Symmetry.

He seems to be a stout stayer, on the evidence of his short head victory over Montecchio at Leopardstown, and one would expect Latham to make plenty of use of his charge. Montecchio has since scored smoothly at Gowran Park.

Feature event is the Group 3 Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Brownstown Stakes, for fillies and mares, and best in at the weights is Heart Shaped.

The daughter of Storm Cat has been mixing it with some hot company and is fancied to show her appreciation of a major drop in class.

Her last two runs have been in Group 1 races, finishing a highly creditable fourth in the English 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, prior to filling sixth in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot, both races won by the top-class Barry Hills-trained Ghanaati.

The three-year-olds appear ordinary in the Jamestown Park Maiden and, perhaps, useful bumper horse Spencer’s Hill, who ran far too freely for his own good at Leopardstown last time, might have the legs on them!

This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Wednesday, July 01, 2009