Punters find Spirituality

Teenager Luke Dempsey has quickly emerged as the apprentice find of the season and rode his third winner in the last ten days when the gambled-on Spirituality got up close home to foil favourite Captain Joy in the Crowne Plaza Race & Stay Package Handicap in Dundalk last night.

Dempsey, who rode his first winner in Navan last week, extricated the Tommy Carmody trained filly (backed from 6/1 to 7/2) from behind a wall of horses to follow-up her maiden win over course and distance last week.

Mick Hussey, narrowly denied on Captain Joy, had earlier ridden his first winner for Aidan O’Brien when Rain God recouped Leopardstown losses in the two-year-old colts’ maiden, beating dead-heaters Tiger stripes and Breccbennach by three-quarters of a length.

In the two-year-old fillies maiden, the Dermot Weld-trained Hazy Glow impressed, stretching clear in the final furlong to slam well-supported favourite Majestic Jasmine by four-and-a-half lengths, prompting Pat Smullen to state: “We’ve always liked her, but she got bogged down in the soft ground twice.

But it was different on this surface. She floated to the start and came back even better.”

Smullen completed a double when Balmont Flyer, trained by Joanna Morgan, landed the second division of the ten-furlong 47-65 handicap, reducing Joseph O’Brien’s lead in the title racer to five, 85-80.

Shane Foley registered his 56th success of the season when recent course winner Via Ballycroy made a successful handicap debut in the featured, seven-furlong fillies handicap for Michael Halford.

Fergal Lynch enjoyed a welcome change of luck (his first winner since August 25) when the David Marnane trained Almadaa availed of his inside draw in the five-furlong handicap, overhauling trail-blazing Calm Bay inside the final furlong.

* Both Shane Foley (Free Spin) and Kevin Manning (Hasten) picked up two-day careless riding bans.