Teo’s far too good
The Jim Bolger-trained filly, a full-sister to the illustrious Teofilo, toyed with her opposition, making virtually all the running under Kevin Manning to beat favourite Shiramyina by a length and three-quarters.
It was an impressive, if belated, first step along the road for the striking daughter of Galileo. Bolger explained: “Small little problems, never anything serious, held her back. She even had a footballer’s problem, a hamstring and we got a man who looks after some of the local footballers, Mick Behan, to work on her. I’ve never had one as unlucky as her.
“She’s entered in everything. But she needs more experience and I’d like to find a nice winners’ race for her and then move her up in class. We might think about aiming her at the Matron Stakes here, in September.”
Although the evening started with a couple of disappointments, John Oxx and Johnny Murtagh went on to complete a treble with favourites Dawariya, Saddler’s Rock and Red Calima.
Not suited by the track when landing her maiden at Ballinrobe and making her handicap debut off a mark of 82, Dawariya quickened well to lead early in the straight and kept going well to beat Crystal Morning and longtime leader Crystal Belle in the jogforjockeys.ie Handicap.
Oxx commented: “I was worried about the ground, but she seemed to tolerate it okay. I wasn’t sure how she’d fare off 82, but she had come on a bit from her win in Ballinrobe.”
After watching Tipperary maiden winner Saddler’s Rock successfully step into handicap company and comfortably outpoint a bunch of older rivals, Oxx conceded: “I declared five horses for tonight in the hope that the rain, which was in the forecast, would arrive., but it didn’t. This fellow was the only one of the them that I knew would handle the ground, even though he’s by Saddlers’ Wells. He could be a horse for the Irish Cesarewitch.”
Despite fears about the ground and support for Aidan O’Brien’s Enchanted Forest, Red Calima justified 8/11 favouritism in the finale, the Avoca Maiden, but gave his supporters a few anxious moments along the way.
Clearly feeling the ground and nudged along by Murtagh well before the straight Red Calima, a Shirocco colt, challenged between horses to lead inside the final, furlong before holding the late charge of Benefit Of Porter (winner of a mares beginners chase in Listowel last time) by a head.
“We got away with it on the ground again. He’s still a bit rusty and needs to improve and he wants soft ground,” commented Oxx
“I was worried about the ground, but we got away with it,” was trainer Jessica Harrington’s summing-up of Forever Glory’s narrow win over Cherokee Brave in the nine-furlong Irish Stallion Farms Maiden.
The Shamardal filly, runner-up to Freedom in a Curragh maiden last time, was nursed through the race by Fran Berry and, having hi the front soon after the furlong-pole, won a little cosily by a head.
Eddie Lynam was on the mark when Akasaka, carrying his own colours and ridden by Joseph O’Brien, landed the Fernleigh Handicap at the expense of top-weight Casela Park In typical style, Lynam quipped: “He’s named after a Japanese restaurant and, thank God, after this he won’t end up in one!”
