Harrington 'thrilled' as Fleur De Chine claims Gowran Park spoils
SMART EFFORT: Fleur De Chine wins the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Gowran Classic in the hands of Shane Foley. Picture: Healy Racing
Gowran Park’s bank holiday meeting, bolstered by the inaugural running of the Gowran Classic and the bookmakers’ association backing free entry to the track, made for a well-attended Flat meeting at the Kilkenny venue.
The feature race was the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Gowran Classic and although it attracted overseas entries, none were declared. Nevertheless, there were 14 runners seeking to grab the winner’s entitlement of €108,000 from the total prize fund of €200,000, and that went to Fleur De Chine, trained by Jessica Harrington and ridden by local jockey Shane Foley, who is having a superb season.
Foley was originally declared on Kinesiology but when that one was pulled out, he got to switch to the eventual winner. Never far from the lead, the filly, racing against the far rail, hit the front two from home and under Foley’s drive she picked up really well and ran hard to the line to see off Galileo Dame by almost three lengths.
“I’m thrilled with her,” said Harrington. “She was good last year, when she had the two runs, and whatever happened in the Curragh the first day (this season), whether something hit her or whatever, Shane thought she had gone wrong. She stumbled a couple of times, and maybe it was the heavy ground, I’m not sure, but it was one of those things.
“But she was very good in Limerick, and we said she could come here if there was a bit of an ease in the ground. She’s not very big but she’s got a great attitude, and Shane gave her a great ride.”
Looking ahead for Kirsten Rausing’s filly, Harrington added: “I don’t know where we’ll go with her now, but she’s won that now, and we can go wherever we want to go. She’s improved, and she stayed every yard of that trip, and will probably step up to a mile and a half. She has free entry to the Derby, so I’d still put her in it, and see what happens.”
The winning rider, who was completing a 409-1 double, having also taken the opener, was particularly pleased.
“It’s a local track for me down here, I’m from just over the road, and it’s nice to see a good crowd here,” said Foley. “This filly won well in Limerick. She had the run of it today. There wasn’t much pace, and I know she was stepping up markedly in trip, but I thought she would get the trip, and we had a nice run around and she travelled into it great.
“A lot of the fancied ones were drawn wide, and it’s quite hard as we’re right on the inside line at the moment and it pays to be in the first three. If you get trapped out the back, it’s hard to make up ground.”
Foley’s earlier winner came aboard 40-1 chance Raw Ability in the Winton Fillies’ Maiden. Trained by Eric McNamara, who wouldn’t be renowned for his debutant winners on the Flat, she looked a nice prospect as she got on top late to land the spoils.
Foley said: “The lads liked her, and said she was ready to start. She travelled through the race really well, picked up down to the furlong pole and stayed going. I could barely pull her up. There’s loads of improvement in her, and I’d say she’s a bit better than a maiden, hopefully.”
There wasn’t much between Nostringsattached and Star Kissed when they hit the line in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies’ & Mares’ Handicap, but the former is a model of consistency, and she shaded the verdict with another fine effort for trainer Andrew Kinirons.
The grey, ridden by Robbie Colgan, came here on the back of a convincing win in a handicap in Cork and despite being 7lbs higher, she moved well throughout and stuck her neck out to keep her main rival at bay.
Tim Doyle and Amy Jo Hayes teamed up to take the KCLR 96FM Apprentice Handicap with Pink Socks. Placed numerous times last season but never able to get her head in front, she righted the wrong by holding off the late rush of Engines On.
There was an upset in the Brian Dunlop Architects Kilkenny Maiden as Inner Success, trained by Ken Condon and ridden by Billy Lee, made all the running and readily saw off the challenge of debutant Durajji and odds-on favourite Bad Desire.
In the Lord Bagenal Inn Carlow Handicap, being up in the van again proved the right place as Glor Tire, ridden by Rory Cleary for Jim Bolger, made all the running and pulled away close home to see off See Me Through, who appeared to join her at one point. It was a second career and course win for the Teofilo three-year-old who won a fillies’ maiden here last month.
Trainer Kevin Coleman notched his third winner of the week when La Juliana, ridden by Colin Keane, got up late to take the fiercely competitive Sonix Entertainment Handicap.
