Kim completes dream hat-trick

Kims Dream, trained in Clonroche, County Wexford by Noel Dooly, completed a tremendous hat-trick when justifying 7/4 favouritism in the Keen Print Handicap in Roscommon last night.

Fully 20lb. higher than when registering the first of her three recent wins at Wexford last month, but still 5lb. “well-in” following her success at Tramore on Friday night, the six-year-old Antonius Pius mare was confidently handled by her regular partner, apprentice Shane Gray, who enjoyed plenty of success at Tramore’s four-day meeting.

Having come from off the pace to hit the front, Kims Dream stayed on stoutly to hold the challenge of Timjoe by a half-length, with the winner’s chief market rival Montrel a close third.

A delighted Noel Dooly commented: “We just freshened her up since Friday — she jumped a few barrels and did little else. She’s a rejuvenated mare and will go back over hurdles. But she might run in a fillies handicap at the Curragh next week first.”

The featured ten-furlong Irish Stallion Farms Fillies Handicap went to the Kevin Prendergast-trained Daymooma, in the colours of Hamdan Al Maktoum,

Ridden by Chris Hayes, the daughter of Pivotal prevailed from Senyuman, top-weight Maggie Dalton and the unlucky Mamma Rosa in a blanket-finish.

“She needs some cut in the ground. It was too fast for her in Fairyhouse the last day,” commented Prendergast. “Her dam won a Group 3 for us and this is an improving filly” he added.

“All men are better like that,” quipped Jessica Harrington after greeting Billboard, gelded since his two runs in Curragh maidens, to the winner’s enclosure after his half-length defeat of newcomer Canthelpbelieving in the opening two-year-old median auction maiden.

The son of Big Bad Bob, backed from 8/1 to 5/1, came through late under Fran Berry, despite being slightly hampered by third-placed Green Tag to open his account at the third attempt and his trainer added: “The drop in class and his experience stood to him. Stepping-up to a mile will help him and he’ll probably go for a nursery next.”

Successful on fast ground over course and distance last month before running flat at the Curragh, the Ger Lyons-trained filly Angela’s Dream notched her third career success in the seven-furlong I.F.A. Race Day Handicap, coming from off the pace to score emphatically from He’s Got Rhythm and Iron Major.

The daughter of Choisir was a fifteenth winner of the season for apprentice Colin Keane, who received plenty of praise from Shane Lyons, brother and assistant to the winning trainer. “She’s tough and very genuine and got a canny ride from Colin, from a bad draw. She was disappointing at the Curragh the last day, so we decided to freshen her up. She wouldn’t want the ground any softer than it is out there.”

In the hurdle action, Keith Donoghue successfully deputised for Davy Condon (shaken and stood down after a fall from Desiderata in the three-year-old hurdle) on Gordon Elliott’s Time To Work in the concluding Athleague Hurdle.

Having tracked the leaders, Time To Work challenged between front-running odds-on favourite Sweet My Lord and Maller Tree to lead at the second last (where he made a mistake). Soon in command, he stretched clear to slam Compton Court, which came from well off the pace to snatch second spot from the disappointing favourite.

“We’ll try to keep him to those conditions races,” said Elliott.

Fourth in the opening juvenile hurdle of the season here two weeks ago, the Andy Slattery-trained Sharjah justified 5/2 favouritism in the Follow Roscommon On Facebook 3-Y-0 Maiden Hurdle.