Katie T oozes class as she sets herself up for Annie Power showdown
The 4/6 favourite defied top-weight under an ultra-confident ride by Hayes, coming from last to first to win, hard held, by three and a quarter lengths from Prince Kup and proving herself on course for another crack at Annie Power in the Grade 1 mares hurdle at the Punchestown Festival.
“She’s a very good filly,” stated Hayes after providing Kevin Prendergast with his first success of the season. “The plan has been very much about Punchestown and it’ll be a lot tougher against Annie Power. This was a good bit of planning by the boss, winning against weak opposition and I look forward to riding her again on the flat later in the year.”
Corail, in the colours of Lady O’Reilly, started the ball rolling for Hayes in the opening median auction fillies maiden, turning over the 1/3 favourite Mulkeyya, which was representing the in-form Weld/Smullen combination.
Beaten by recent Group 3 runner-up Devonshire at the Curragh last year, Corail edged ahead early in the straight and was always finding enough to foil the favourite by a length and a quarter. Degan commented: “We had this race in mind since the turn of the year, but we were obviously worried by Mr Weld’s filly. We left her alone after she got beaten at the Curragh and, although she didn’t grow much, she got a lot stronger over the winter.
“I’m not sure whether we’ll take baby steps with her, or go for the Guineas Trial in Leopardstown. I must talk to James (Kelly) and Lady O’Reilly. She has no fancy entries and will continue to mature mentally. I think she deserves a shot at stakes company.”
Before a crowd of over 6,000 enthusiastic students, Hayes struck again when producing Tim Doyle’s in-foal filly Pushkar with a well-timed late challenge to beat Private Party by a neck in the www.limerickraces.ie Online Special Packages Handicap.
Doyle commented: “She’s a nice, well-bred filly. She’s in foal to Ruler Of The World, so she has her job done. But we won’t leave it at that – if she’s okay, she’ll run in the apprentice handicap in Cork on Monday.”
It was fitting that Hayes rounded off a memorable day at his local track with victory on board his uncle Sean Greaney’s King Christophe, easy winner of three-runner Summer Twilight Nights Handicap at the expense of disappointing odds-on favourite Vilmar.
‘Christophe’ was a first winner of the season for Patrick Prendergast, whose Ceylon was narrowly denied earlier and he explained: “I thought a lot of him last year and ran him in a few stakes races after he won, but he lost his form. We gelded him over the winter and he’s back working the way he used to work. He’s been schooled already over hurdles.
“I’m delighted – the horses have been running well but we had the paint knocked off the crossbar, including Ceylon earlier – I thought she had won. But, at last, we’ve hit the back of the net!”
