Pink Venom strikes prior to Mallow abandonment

Pink Venom and Ben Coen win for owner Noel Hartley and trainer Johnny Murtagh. Pic: Healy Racing

Tuesday’s meeting at Cork, the final Flat meeting of the season at the Mallow venue, was abandoned after four races due to high winds.

The listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Navigation Stakes was the feature on the eight-race card but deteriorating conditions meant the meeting didn’t get that far.

Before time was called on the meeting, Pink Venom justified even-money favouritism in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Nursery Handicap.

The Johnny Murtagh-trained Soldier’s Call filly won at Fairyhouse last week and showed a good attitude to prevail in the testing conditions, beating Whosinterviewinwho by a length and three-quarter with Captain James Cook back in third.

“She’s a nice filly and she did that well,” winning jockey Ben Coen said. “I probably hit the front too soon but once I had her rolling on that ground I wanted to keep her going. It’s tough going with the headwind today but, hopefully, she can keep progressing. She’s a very genuine filly so it’s nice to see her go and do it.” 

Asked about the miserable conditions, Coen quipped: “It’s Ireland, you get used to it!” 

The in-form Slattery team won the opening race on the card, the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden, courtesy of 4-1 shot El Domino. 

Third here over six furlongs earlier this month, the Ardad colt dropped to the minimum trip for the first time and duly got the better of 28-1 shot Spirit Of The Nite by two lengths with 11-4 joint-favourite Alfresco back in third.

“That’s it for the year, we’ll probably geld him during the week,” winning trainer Andy Slattery said.

“His owner Noel McElholm is from Omagh, he’s 87 years of age, he couldn’t make the trip today. I think this horse will be a lovely three-year-old, he’s just very immature so it’s grand to get a win into him for this year.” 

The most visually impressive winner on the truncated card was Saint Agatha who bolted up in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Handicap.

A promising second on debut at the Curragh last season, the Fozzy Stack-trained St Mark’s Basilica filly had shown little in his next three runs before again providing signs of encouragement when fifth here at the end of August.

She built on that step forward to score in the hands of Seamie Heffernan.

“I thought plenty of her last year and she had a very good first run at the Curragh, but has disappointed since,” the winning jockey said.

“She has been working well on the grass lately and Fozzy said the ground wouldn't be a problem.

“She was down to a mark of which we thought she was way above and hopefully now she can get back up to what we thought she was.

“Fozzy’s are trained to be tough, and when the ground gets slow, toughness comes into it.” 

On what was to prove the final race on the card, the Ger Keane-trained Verified landed the spoils in the WTW Willis Handicap in the hands of Gary Carroll.

“He is a grand horse and has been waiting for that ease in the ground,” said Keane.

“He had form on this ground here before we got him and we had been looking for a race all year for him. This ground and race came just at the right time.

“He probably wants that six furlongs and there's a race for him in Navan next week.”