Red-hot Hayes records third double in a week
A beaten favourite on her recent debut at Cork, Wrong Answer, trained by Kevin Prendergast for Lady O’Reilly, overcame a tardy start to justify 4/7 favouritism in the opening two-year-old fillies maiden.
Hard driven by Hayes to get the better of only serious market rival Bank On Black, the daughter of Verglas kept going well to win by three-quarters of a length.
James Kelly, representing the winning owner, commented: “Chris is on fire at the moment, but said that the filly hated that surface. It was good to win with her after Cork, as she’s a filly Kevin (Prendergast) has always liked. She’ll probably go for the Coolmore-sponsored fillies race at Naas in early June.”
Refuse To Sell, which swooped inside the final furlong to foil front-running Rio Grando, was a welcome winner for Limerick owner/trainer Flan Costello, without a success since Drunken Wisdom scored at the 2001 Galway Festival, having suffered the disappointment of Fastnowfast’s disqualification at Tipperary last summer.
A relieved and delighted Costello said: “It’s great to get a winner at last. It’s a tough business and, although this horse has been knocking on the door, it’s been a long wait.”
Hayes, who picked up a two-day careless riding ban on Refused To Sell, looked set to complete a treble on the Lady O’Reilly-owned, Eddie Lynam-trained favourite Parabola in the finale, the Hamilton Architects Fillies Maiden.
But, having hit the front at the two-furlong pole, she had to settle for the runner-up berth behind the Dermot Weld-trained debutante Walk Beside Me, a daughter of Theatrical owned by Moyglare Stud Farm and ridden by stable-jockey Pat Smullen.
Ger Lyons saddled three for the six-furlong Goffs Breeze-Up At Dundalk 12th May Maiden and was expected to land the spoils with well-backed even-money favourite Putapriceonthat, the mount of Johnny Murtagh.
The track’s leading trainer duly saddled winner, second and fourth. But, to the dismay of punters, the ‘jolly’ finished only fourth behind stable-companion Tarrsille, enterprisingly ridden by stable apprentice Emmet McNamara.
Lyons commented: “Tarrsille has been disappointing but shows plenty at home. It was his first experience of the surface and he seemed to like it. Emmet rode him like a motorbike around the bend and he won well. It wasn’t ideal running three in the same races, but opportunities are scarce for this type of horse.”
Although in the frame in handicap company, the John Geoghegan-trained mare Ludwigshafen belatedly opened her account, at the twenty-second attempt, when landing the Crowne Plaza Race & Stay Package Maiden in the hands of Johnny Murtagh. Fran Berry set a strong pace on Uncle Eric. But Murtagh took his time on Geoghegan’s charge, delaying his challenge before recording a long overdue success.
