Relaxed Rae’s Creek gets off the mark
Trained for J P McManus by in-form Jessica Harrington, 10/11 shot Rae’s Creek travelled sweetly for most of the Ladies Day 24th June Maiden before being driven clear by Berry to beat longtime leader Dalasiri by three and a half lengths.
Berry explained: “He was entitled to win, but the key to him is getting him settled. We tried him without the hood at the Curragh last year and he bolted with me. But he was very, very relaxed today and we were always in the right place, although he was going through the motions a bit when he hit the front.
“He thinks he’s quicker than he is, but, if he relaxes, he should be up to winning a nice handicap over a mile and six or two miles.”
The second leg of Berry’s double, the James Nash-trained Massini’s Trap, has made the headlines in each of his three visits to Ballinrobe — the subject of a ‘running and riding’ enquiry and now victories in a maiden hurdle (last August) and last night’s Tipperary Water Handicap.
Backed from 5/2 to 15/8, the Dr.Massini gelding came from off the pace, hit the front running for home and slammed Hurricane Jojo by almost five lengths, prompting his trainer to comment: “He was entitled to win a handicap off that sort of mark and it should be good for his confidence. We’ll keep going with him and, hopefully, the Galway Hurdle is where he ends up.”
Upper Silesian, the 6/1 outsider of three and only maiden in the field, came from last to first, swooping late under Kevin Manning to foil favourite Dance With Another (Joseph O’Brien) in the opening fillies race.
Joe Murphy, whose Euphrasia earned valuable Group 1 black type when third in Sunday’s Tattersalls Gold Cup, saddled Nancy Rose (Gary Carroll) to win the median auction maiden, making most of the running before battling to beat promising debutant Giorgio by a half-length.
Giorgio’s trainer Tom Doyle enjoyed better luck when Killourney Empress, a winner in Clonmel already this season, held the challenge of Diamond Daze by a head in the Sheridan Electric Handicap, continuing the excellent weekend form of jockey Wayne Lordan.
* Locally-born apprentice Conor Hoban picked-up a total of five days in suspensions, four of them for careless riding, following his handling of Musawama in the Tipperary Water Handicap.
