King George rules for O’Brien
Sent off at 5/1 (stable-companion and joint favourite Freedom Fighter finished fourth), the Danehill Dancer colt was in front from halfway and, despite showing signs of inexperience in the centre of the course, proved two and a quarter lengths too strong for the other joint-favourite Sugar Boy.
“With this weather, the two-year-olds haven’t been on the grass at home,” explained O’Donoghue. “So we don’t really know what to expect when they come racing. But this is a nice colt, very green in front up that long straight, but with plenty of scope for improvement.”
Earlier, Pat Shanahan commented: “She loves soft ground, which is a big help,” after Roamininthegloamin provided him with a second success as a trainer and initiated O’Donoghue’s double, beating Ballydoyle hope Unanimous by a half-length with favourite Flying Doha third, in the opening Bennettsbridge Maiden.
Shanahan added: “Her first run in Naas, over six furlongs, sharpened her up. She’s come on well from that experience. She’s a big, tall filly, but a filly I’ve always liked — I rode her work last year when Paddy Prendergast trained her and thought she was a big, raw, immature filly that needed time. I have no plans for her — I’ll have to look at the calendar ”
Successful in Leopardstown for the Firstseason Syndicate, comprising family and friends of winning rider Ronan Whelan (riding his sixth winner of the season), Balladiene followed-up when defying top-weight in the seven-furlong jogforjockeys.ie Handicap.
Fourth to Bold Thady Quill at the Curragh on Saturday, Potomac made a quick reappearance to land the Kilkenny Handicap, turning the tables on Ken Condon’s penalised gelding, with only a short-head separating the pair.
Potomac was another winner for in-form Andy Oliver, who commented: “He came out of the Curragh race well and everything went to plan today. I left it to Chris to ride him as he found him and he gave the horse a good, strong ride. The horse battled well and showed a great attitude and he’s a nice prospect. He’s entered for the Newmarket Sales next week, but I’m not sure if he’ll go.”
Chris Hayes was subsequently banned for two racedays and ordered to attend RACE for one day after the stewards found him guilty of using his whip with excessive force and frequency.
Balladiene stayed on stoutly in the testing ground to beat Jumbo Steps by almost two lengths, prompting winning trainer Jarlath Fahey to explain: “She’s a very tough little filly and loves that deep ground. I’m probably the only one around hoping that it keeps raining.
“Ronan knows her perfectly and knows not to give up o her when she appears to be struggling. When the others are crying enough in that ground, she’s only getting going. If the rain continues, she’ll go to the Curragh for the good, 60-90 fillies handicap on Oaks weekend.”
The apprentice handicap yielded a double first as apprentice Pat O’Donnell and trainer Pat Breen, who is based outside Dungarvan but works as a postman in Mallow, savoured their first successes with 12/1 shot Apache Gold.
O’Donnell (16), from, Herbertstown, Co. Limerick, is a son of former jockey and current trainer Pat O’Donnell, best known as a trainer for his Coral Cup win with Chance Coffey at Cheltenham in 1995@ O’Donnell jnr has thirty winners to his credit on the pony-racing circuit. He was tasting racecourse success for the first time, on his ninth ride.
Winning trainer Breen said: “I only have my licence since the end of March as we’re really point-to-point people. This is the only flat horse I have and was my first runner in Limerick, where he got tired. He tends to be a bit free and the young lad did a great job on him.”
Out of luck on the favourite Flying Doha in the opener, Wayne Lordan gained some compensation when Brother Rabbit, trained by Willie McCreery for his wife Amanda, proved a 25/1 winner of the Freshford Handicap, bating Dayrina convincingly by two and a half lengths.
“He’s bred to be a sprinter, but it was worth all the waiting,” said the trainer. “We bred him ourselves.”
Lordan went close to completing a double in the concluding fillies maiden, his mount Caliente going down by a neck to the Joe Murphy-trained Dream Scape (Gary Carroll) in a ‘result’ for the layers.
The winner, described by her trainer as “a very genuine, improving filly”, was a 12/1 shot in the five-runner affair and outstayed market-leaders Caliente (6/5) and Ballydoyle filly Circle (4/5). Dream Scape, a daughter of Oasis Dream, is likely to go the handicap route.
