Sulwaan’s late surge too much for his rivals
Settled at the back of the four-runner field, Sulwaan, a dual-winner in Emgland for Mark Johnston and now owned by Dr. Ronan Lambe, looked unlikely to trouble the leaders at the second last flight but came storming through on the run-in to foil odds-on favourite Tavern Times by a half-length, with little more than three lengths covering the field at the line.
Ruby Walsh commented: “He’s a fair little horse and it was a good effort for his first run over hurdles, beating two solid older horses. I think the plan is to go for the four-year-old race on the first day of Galway, when he’ll have a 4lb. penalty for this win.”
The Tom McCourt trained Fearnwood Girl is something of a course specialist in Sligo and notched her third win on the track when capturing the Guinness Handicap Hurdle at the expense of Bachelor Affair.
In the absence of the winning trainer, owner Peter Jordan commented: “She loves it around here — that’s her third win here and it’s great that she’s back to her best. She finished third in Galway last year and will go there now.”
Returning to action after his recent marriage, David Casey gave the James Nash trained Some Say a confident ride to land the Irish Stallion Farms Mares Maiden Hurdle from Cinderella Story.
An eye-catcher on her last visit to the track, Some Say is owned by Eamonn Duignan and is highly-rated by her trainer. “She’s a fair mare and David gave her a great ride, because she can be a bit buzzy. She wants three miles and proper winter ground. She’ll have a break, about six weeks off, before we plan for the winter.”
Bryan Cooper was seen to good effect when partnering Miss Accurate, owned and trained by Dessie Hughes, to an all-the-way win in the opening Benbulben Maiden Hurdle, keeping odds-on favourite In A Nutshell at bay by three-quarters of a length.
Trainer Hughes said: “She’s been on the go since we bought her and keeps surprising me. She jumped well for a first-timer today and deserves a break before going for a winners-of-one.”
Noel Kelly, who trains in County Derry, has a tremendous record at Sligo and struck again when well-backed debutante Chestnut Kate outpointed strong favourite Millers Reef in the bumper, forging clear to score by four and a half lengths.
Chestnut Kate, a four-year-old Le Vie De Colori filly, gave Steven Fox (16), from County Leitrim, his second racecourse success, having triumphed on the Jim Goldie trained Los Nadis in Musselburgh recently. Fox is based with Lucinda Russell in Scotland and has also ridden two point-to-point winners on the other side of the Irish Sea.
