San Salvador opens Flat account with win in Dundalk
BIG WINN: San Salvador and Declan McDonogh win for trainer Joseph O'Brien. Pic: Healy Racing.
A five-time winner under National Hunt rules, including at Grade 3 level, San Salvador opened his Flat account when justifying 8/15 favouritism in the Irisihinjuredjockeys.com Maiden in Dundalk, continuing the good form of trainer Joseph O’Brien.
The nine-year-old readily brushed aside market rival Ice Opera to score by four and a half lengths, prompting his rider Declan McDonogh to comment: “That should be a nice confidence boost.
"He loved it and thought he was a champion up the straight. He loved the surface – he hopped off it and travelled with a bit of gusto.”
Third to subsequent Grade 1 winner Henri Matisse on his debut, 85-rated Red Evolution opened his account in the opening five-furlong maiden, justifying 5/4 favouritism in the hands of Jamie Powell, who reported: “he won snug enough”.
A son of Mehmas, gelded over the winter, Red Evolution is trained by Michael O’Callaghan, who explained: “He’s a lovely horse and had a couple of nice runs last year, But he wasn’t concentrating in the second half of the season, so we decided to castrate him.
"This was a nice way to start the year for everyone. And I liked the way he knuckled down and pulled away. He has so much early speed that we’ll keep him at five furlongs for now – I think there’s a conditions race for him back here. And he’ll want good ground when he goes back to the grass.”
Stephen Thorne delivered a 1-2 in the featured seven-furlong handicap as the Jack Kearney-ridden top-weight Hightimeyouwon, backed into 13/8 favourite, saw off stable-companion Volatile Analyst (also owned by Shamrock Thoroughbreds) by a length and a half.
The nine-year-old was recording his ninth win and his first since last March. And Thorne stated: “He ran a cracker here recently and came forward from it. Things didnl’ go according to plan, but Jack got it spot-on.”
Talented teenager Nicola Burns registered her ninth career success when partnering Dick Donohoe’s Autocrat to his fifth polytrack success in the Put The Fun In Fundraising At Dundalk Handicap.
And trainer Josh Halley admitted: “He’s been a dinger all year at home,” after The Padre, a Ghaiyyath colt from an Aga Khan family, made an impressive debut in the Book Online At DundalkStadium.com Maiden, adding, “He’s very straight-forward and professional. He’ll go to the grass, if we don’t sell him.”
