ADMIRABLE veteran Lord Erskine (13/2) registered a 13th career success at Killarney on Tuesday, as the 12-year-old landed the Executive Helicopters Handicap for his adoring trainer Harry Rogers and jockey Ronan Whelan.
Successful on his previous run over hurdles at Fairyhouse’s Easter festival, Lord Erskine had been a non-runner on five occasions subsequently, but reappeared in fine fettle, when leading from halfway and scoring a popular four-and-a-half-length success, from runner-up Dark Note (3/1).
Rogers led up the James Nolan-owned winner, and afterwards reported: “He is a dream and just eats, sleeps and does his work. In fairness to Ronan, we had a plan going out and said if they were going too slow to go on down the back straight, which he did.
“He is a dream horse and was like his late owner Jerry Nolan. James, his brother, has taken over the ownership now and is the same. We just couldn’t get an ease in the ground in the past few weeks, and the plan now is to go to Galway where he has a few choices.”
Slattery’s redemption
Dark Note’s trainer Andy Slattery was later on the mark in the concluding Tote QR Maiden with the Adam Ryan-partnered, Margaret O’Rourke-owned Royal Hollow (7/4 joint-favourite), which also has Galway aspirations.
Aidan O’Brien’s 97-rated Mont St Michel, who was the other joint-favourite, made the running but was readily swept aside in the straight by Royal Hollow, which scored by two and a half lengths.
Slattery stated: “This was the plan to come here, but I wasn’t expecting to meet a horse (Mont St Michel) rated 97 in a maiden, although I don’t see how the handicapper can do too much with her.
“At Galway, she is in the amateur handicap and the hurdle, which she mightn’t get into being rated 131, but there is also a mares’ hurdle for her.”
CHAMPION jockey Colin Keane registered a double at the fixture, beginning with success for trainer Richard O’Brien on Spanish Temptress (13/8 favourite) in the Irish Examiner Handicap, for the enthusiastic Phoenix Rising Syndicate.
Spanish Temptress travelled strongly through today’s race and eventually scored comfortably by two and a quarter lengths from Jasmine Affanalis (5/1).
Co Limerick-based O’Brien revealed: “I was a little dubious about today’s longer test on that ground, so I said to the boys this morning that we shouldn’t run, but they said ‘no, forget it you’re running!’
“I was saying recently that this (Phoenix Rising) syndicate is like a focus group which HRI should look at, as they are die-hard fans. They go to the sales, Chester, Galway, Guineas, Derby, the National, the stallion trail and they are really, really into it.
Candidate for Galway
“They are Dublin-centred except for one chap Victor Sheehan, from nearby Camp and this filly is now a candidate for Galway.”
Keane later scored narrowly on the Paddy Twomey-trained Elano Osario (7/4 favourite) Irish Stallion Farms EBF (Fillies) Handicap. Racing behind the leaders, Keane produced the Lope De Vega filly to lead in the closing stages, to score by a head from Annie’s Angel (14/1) and provide owner Robert Moran with a double of his own.
Twomey commented: “She is a nice filly, is one we have waited a long time for and is an improving filly who is physically getting stronger.
“She gave 20lb to the runner-up the last day and I told Robert (Moran, owner) that today would be her last handicap, as he keeps giving out to me about her carrying 10st!
“I’m delighted she won, and she got a fantastic ride. Robert is from Florida, but his holiday home is in Glandore and he loves it down here.”
Owner Moran had earlier bred Ross Castle Maiden-winner Red Hugh O’Donnell (10/1), which scored for trainer Gillian Scott, the Red Hugh O’Donnell Syndicate and under a well-judged Seamie Heffernan ride.
Restrained in rear, Heffernan pushed along the winner in fifth place two furlongs out, with the gelding rallying well on the outer to edge past Ocean Manifest by a head at the line.
Boxed in
Scott reported: “I was so close to not running because of the ground but I live so close to the racecourse, I had to run. He also likes a small field, hates being boxed in and, call a spade a spade, it was a weak race too. I’m thrilled though.”
Regarding jockey brother Billy Lee’s absence due to his Saturday collarbone break, she added: “I actually thought today would be the one day Billy could ride him but unfortunately he is out. Today’s win was all down to Seamie though - 100% due to his canniness. That’s his first winner for me.”
TRAINER Ger O’Leary continued his good spell by winning the Killarney Plaza Hotel & Spa Handicap with the Purosangue Racing Syndicate’s Zipster (5/1), which arrived late-on to score by three-parts of a length from Harry The Rouge (6/1) under 7lb-claimer Darragh O’Sullivan.
O’Leary later said: “I didn’t think we would get up two furlongs down and wondered would Darragh ever get a move on, but he said they went too hard in front and the horse picked up nicely.
“It is brilliant as plenty of the lads are here and my wife’s 97-year-old father is also here. This is the first winner he has cheered in for a while.
“I’d like to thank Ciaran O’Toole (part-owner) who couldn’t be here, Dean Curran and Chris Geoghegan, who ride work, and the team who, without them, we wouldn’t be in the number one spot.
“We have a routine at home which we stick to, and you could disappear for a week, but the show would be running exactly as it should be.”
Shania still the one
Racing began with the Irish Stallion Farms EBF (Fillies) Maiden, which was won by the Donnacha O’Brien-trained Gavin Ryan-partnered Shania (8/15 favourite), for joint-owners Mrs Irwin and John Magnier.
Having her first run since finishing second in today’s same race last year, Shania improved to lead over a furlong out and was all-out close home to hold 25/1 newcomer Spanish Princess by a neck.
O’Brien reported: “She is huge and is a very big girl. She ran here last year on very quick ground and didn’t come out of it very well, so it has taken us a while to get her back. It probably wasn’t a strong race today, but her touch of class got her through.”