Killarney forced to abandon all chases
The fixture will go ahead with Flat and hurdle races. There will be six races on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with seven on Thursday. On all four days, the Flat races (excluding bumpers) will be run first followed by hurdle events.
Sligo’s meeting on Sunday has been abandoned as the course is unraceable following recent heavy rain.
Meanwhile David Nicholls put a spoke in the wheels of the Aidan O’Brien juggernaut by landing an amazing one-two with Continent and Bahaman Pirate in the Group One Darley July Cup at Newmarket yesterday.
The Thirsk-based trainer is best known for his exploits in handicaps and his runners had each made their name by winning the Ayr Gold Cup. But neither looked out of place in Europe’s most prestigious six-furlong race as they swooped on the leaders on either side of the course in the closing stages. Darryll Holland produced 12-1 shot Continent on the inside rail to lead well inside the final furlong and though his mount hung right he had enough in reserve to hold off Richard Hughes on Bahamian Pirate (16-1) on the outside by half a length.
The 5-2 favourite Danehurst was another length and a half back in third with Landseer - the flag-bearer for Aidan O’Brien who was bidding for his sixth British Group One victory of 2002 - only fourth. Neither of the supplementary entries recouped the £15,000 it cost to put them in the race, with Millennium Dragon fifth and Malhub seventh.
Nicholls’ only previous success in the highest grade had come when his Ya Malak dead-heated with Coastal Bluff in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York in 1997.
‘‘It can’t get better than having first and second in a race like this,’’ he said. ‘‘I keep asking people to pinch me and make me wake up.’’
Last night’s meeting at Navan was abandoned after four races, after a torrential shower had caused surface water to appear on parts of the track.
Senior jockeys and trainers met with the stewards after Ilious, trained by Brian Nolan and ridden by Kevin Manning, had landed the Tally Ho Stud Maiden by a neck from Rowan Flower with water flying in every direction. The decision to abandon was made in the interest of safety and tonight’s meeting at the track depends on a 7.30 inspection this morning.
Leos Shuil, winner of a Bumper at Tipperary on her previous start, revelled in the testing conditions when making all in the EBS Filly’s Maiden. Backed from 4/1 to 9/4, the John Kiely trained five-year-old won by seven lengths from 15/8 favourite, Lilly Beth and afterwards Kiely said: “The ground suited her. She might have another run on the flat at Galway, but like the rest of her family, jumping will be her game.”
