Apprentices set to go to the wire in title battle
Carroll was seen at his strongest on board both Going Gaga, which defied top-weight in the www.countysligoraces.com Nursery and Walter De La Mare, a brave all-the-way winner of the Foley’s Bar & Off Licence Sligo Handicap while Curtis gave Tom Hogan’s Raise The Rafters a fine, tactical, front-running ride to prove a shock winner of the Join The Sligo Race Supporters Club in 2011 Maiden.
Having tracked the leaders, travelling strongly, Carroll produced Going Gaga to challenge off the home turn in the nursery and, in front before the furlong-pole, the Mick Mulvany trained son of Mujadil had to dig deep in a titanic tussle with Ceist Nua, scoring by the minimum margin.
Ironically, trainer Mulvany thanked Ben Curtis for his part in the victory. “Ben rode this horse the last day and told me he needed blinkers and they worked the oracle today. He’s no world-beater but, in fairness, he stuck his head out well in the last furlong. He’s had a busy season and I’d say he’ll be going out into a field next week.”
Trainer John Murphy was not present to see Walter De La Mare, in the colours of Philip Caffrey, make all to repeat a course and distance win achieved in August, dictating the pace and holding on grimly under Carroll’s strong handling to score in a blanket-finish.
The Barathea colt held on by a neck from another course winner Golden Nugget, with Palm Ridge only a head away third.
In between Carroll’s wins, Ben Curtis provided trainer Tom Hogan with another success at Sligo, guiding Raise The Rafters to an all-the-way success in the ten-furlong maiden.
Soon clear, Hogan’s charge stayed on stoutly up the hill to beat Faoileanda by four and a half lengths, prompting his trainer to comment: “He has shown plenty at home, but was disappointing in bumpers. He used to be very free but we started working him in front and good horses couldn’t get past him. That’s why we changed tactics with him.
“Ben says he wants to go a bit further and he’ll probably go back hurdling, although he won’t go in deep, soft ground, He’s related to Rooftop Protest (won eleven races for Hogan). That’s where he got his name.”
Arthur Moore, who has tasted success at the highest level of National Hunt action over many years, recorded a rare two-year-old success when Gentleman Duke romped to an impressive victory in the opening median auction maiden.
Driven clear by Fran Berry, the son of Bachelor Duke slammed Gold Post by seven lengfths, to the delight of Moore and the colt’s owner, former bookmaker Liam Flood, a friend and supporter of the trainer for many years.
“It must be close to thirty years since my last two-year-old winner,” admitted Moore. “Liam asked me last year to buy him a yearling and we got this fellow for €10,000. In fact, when he went to register his colours with the Turf Club, he discovered this is the first horse he has owned for twenty-seven years.
“He’s a lovely horse to train and deserved this, on his third visit to Sligo. We might try to find a nursery for him. He should make a nice three-year-old and, he might even go hurdling.”
