Pride of place for Keys at Listowel
Keys Pride benefited from a great Davy Russell ride which enabled her to walk away with the Dawn Milk Handicap Chase at Listowel.
The eight-year-old was hardly winning out of turn after finishing in the first three on her last four starts.
But she looked up against it two furlongs from home as Holly Tree, a winner at the festival on Thursday, came to win the race under Shane Flanagan.
However, those exertions began to take their toll and Russell galvanised the 8-1 shot close home, with Nine O getting the better of Holly Tree in a battle for second.
“She’s a serious mare,” said winning trainer Stephen Ryan.
“We were a little worried about the ground as ideally she’d prefer it good. I was delighted with the ride Davy gave her. He switched her off and gave her one run.
“She has a great turn of pace and we’ll go for the Denny Gold Medal Chase at the rescheduled Tralee meeting next.”
Shay Barry on No Full (7-2) took advantage of a bunch of sleepy jockeys in the Jet O’Carroll Memorial Novice Hurdle.
Barry kicked the Eoin Doyle-trained seven-year-old into an early lead which he never relinquished after stealing around 10 lengths at the start.
He came home unchallenged to win by 11 lengths.
“He did it well and he’s a nice horse,” said Doyle.
“The key to him is to go left-handed. He ran good races in defeat over fences last season, including in the big Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown and we’ll probably go there again this season.
“We’ll keep him over hurdles at the moment and look for a winners-of-one next.”
China Rock (5-1) looks a nice prospect for Mouse Morris after his victory in the John J. Galvin Maiden Hurdle (Div1).
Running in the same colours as Venalmar who also hails from the stable, the five-year-old collared long-time leader Gypsy Scholar to win by four and a half lengths.
“The horse is still developing and was probably a bit weak in his bumpers last season,” said Morris.
“We’ll go for a winners-of-one next and in time he should make a chaser.”
Beneficial Spirit (8-1) won the McElligotts Tralee Landrover Maiden Hurdle (Div2) despite a bad mistake at the last.
Shane Jackson sat tight on Philip Rothwell’s five-year-old and grimly held off Emergency Exit.
Harbour View (25-1) was a bloodless winner of the John Fletcher Memorial Handicap Hurdle for Robbie Colgan and Patrick Hayes, while Northern Alliance (7-4 favourite), third in the Galway Hurdle, got off the mark over fences for Ruby Walsh and Tony Martin in the Guinness Beginners Chase.
