Sandie to be upped in class after game nursery success
Top weight An Tadh made a brave attempt from the front and for most of the straight they were tactics which looked destined to succeed.
But Kevin Manning got a real tune from Sandie and she wore down the leader in the closing stages to score by three parts of a length with two lengths back to the Galway winner, Sandton City.
“You can take it that will be her last handicap”, said Bolger. “She can go anywhere, but will probably run in the Moyglare (Curragh) next. The ground is very sticky out there and it was a good performance by the first three.”
Dermot Weld’s Bawaader, second three times in-a-row, got off the mark with a vengeance in the Bernard Dillon Memorial-Australian Jockey Club Maiden. The son of Indian Ridge revelled in the surface, easing to the front over half a mile out and then scampering right away to win by eight lengths. “It was a weak race, but the ground is the key to him”, reported pilot, Pat Smullen.
Michael Grassick’s well-backed market leader, Indian’s Feather, took the Ballybeggan Racegoers’ Club Handicap. She was reaping the reward of consistency, powering ahead over a furlong out for Niall McCullagh to beat outsider, Grisham.
“She kept going up for getting beaten”, said Grassick. “She has to have an ease in the ground, that’s the secret to her.”
Miss Blueyes, a half-sister to Queen Astrid, came though late to grab the mile and a half Denny Rated Race.
Liscune led off the home turn, looking set to complete a double for Michael Grassick. But Robbie Burke conjured a terrific late surge from the winner to score by a short head.
Said trainer, Robbie Osborne: “She’s as tough as nails. She had never been on ground like that before and we were wondering if she’d handle it.”
Gamble of the contest was Dermot Weld’s Lake Vostock, taken from 4-1 to 5-2. But he ran deplorably, never promising to take a hand and finishing tenth.
Paul Nolan’s Matt Wood made a decent debut over fences when landing the Brooks Mares Beginners Chase in the hands of Robbie Moran. Regarded as a lover of top of the ground, she handled the surface without any bother at all. Matt Wood eased ahead going to the fourth last, survived her only error two out and picked up again to beat Call Me Judy by four lengths.
“She’s such a good jumper that, hopefully, will be better over fences than over hurdles”, said Nolan.
“That was overdue”, remarked Davy Fitzgerald after his Rights Of Man had justified favouritism in the Tralee Vintners’ Paddy Kearns Memorial Maiden Hurdle.
Rights Of Man is normally a hold-up horse, but led here well over a circuit from home and, despite some indifferent jumping, galloped clear to win by ten lengths.
“He has no respect for hurdles”, said Fitzgerald. “He will go back on the Flat for a handicap at the Curragh, but will go over fences sooner rather than later.”
Charles Byrnes struck for the third time this week when Carthalawn left a bout of seconditis solidly behind with a clear-cut victory in the Bumper. He was the final straw for the layers, who suffered a number of reverses through the day, finding 6-4 from 9-4.
Carthalawn swept ahead two furlongs out and Derek O’Connor only had to push him out to win by five lengths. Commented Byrnes: “I was a little worried about the ground, but he had the form in the book. A winners’ bumper at Listowel will be next.”
