Spanish Temptress completes quickfire double
AWAY AND GONE: Spanish Temptress and Colin Keane win the Gunness Handicap at Roscommon on Monday. Picture: Healy Racing
Richard O’Brien has long felt Spanish Temptress could develop into a smart sort and while he remains adamant the best is yet to come, her victory in the Gunness Handicap at Roscommon was further vindication of the trainer’s belief in the grey filly.
After winning at the July meeting in Killarney, her next three starts yielded little, even if there were plausible excuses, but she repaid her trainer’s faith in her with a second win, last week in Killarney, and was just as impressive in chalking up career success number three.
She had plenty to do turning for home but once Colin Keane switched her out to make her run, she produced a relentless effort to run down Fast Tara.
“I’m just delighted,” said O’Brien. “A quick turnaround is always a question, and she was up in grade and carrying an extra 7lbs. Colin said he was really pleased with her and felt she was always going to get there. She’s a filly to look forward to for next season.”
There was plenty of pace on in the Roscommon Racecourse On Facebook Handicap and Aengus King’s La Tulipe Noire came from off the speed to follow up her recent victory in Cork. Ridden here, as she was there, by Jessica O’Gornan, the five-year-old mare, who has run over hurdles and fences and on the all-weather, flew down the outside to win by a wide margin from the keeping-on Nibras Rainbow.
The third winner on the card to back up a recent success was Glenroyal, who took the four-runner Roscommon Rated Race in great style. Joseph O’Brien’s Australia gelding sat second behind the runaway leader through the early stages, took over early in the straight and, with stamina as her strongest suit, asserted late to see off Refreshment. Importantly for Dylan Browne McMonagle, who leads the jockeys’ championship, it negated the earlier success of champion jockey Keane.
In the absence of Down To Business, Mocking had a gilt-edged opportunity to finally get off the mark in the Gary’s Gardening Services Maiden and Johnny Murtagh’s gelding duly obliged, though he needed full persuasion from Ben Coen.
The three-year-old travelled strongly to join Bobby Kirova just inside the two marker and when he got the better of that rival, he was all out to deny the late effort of McLoughlin. Numerically it has already been the best season in the careers of Murtagh and Coen, and there will be plenty of opportunities to add to it over the coming weeks.
“We thought he would be winning before now, but it’s nice to get his head in front,” said Coen. “He jumped and travelled strongly and handled the ground well. He probably could have done with a lead for a bit longer, but he dug it out well. Hopefully he can improve with age.”
Having beaten a horse called McLoughlin, Coen later teamed up with a trainer called McLoughlin to complete a double on the card, doing so in the finale. Nancee Spain, who was runner-up on her first two starts in handicaps, made no mistake this time as she stretched away up the straight to win by a proverbial mile for her trainer, Daniel McLoughlin, who has made such a promising start to his career.
Joey Sheridan is another jockey enjoying the best season of his career and he and Denis Hogan, who have had so much success this term, added another when Ephesus took the On-Course Vets Handicap. The 12-1 chance led under pressure inside the two marker and was a couple clear before eventual runner-up Ehteyat, who ran away with a 14-furlong race at Listowel, found full stride.
Millraceflow made every yard of the running in the opener, the Roscommon Racecourse Maiden. Andy Oliver’s representative was having his third run, and Billy Lee ensured he made the most of the experience. Dictating matters all the way, he had Galley Point, who was particularly weak in the market, in trouble as soon as he asked for extra, and duly raced on to beat that rallying rival quite cozily.
