IT was a day to live long in the memory for trainer Kieran Cotter as Strong Johnson gave him the biggest success of his career when coming out the right side of a three-way photo for the Paddy Power Rockingham Handicap.
The fortunes of the Cotter yard have taken a notable upswing over the last year and a half but this success was by far his biggest triumph and it was achieved with owner-breeder David Mooney who has been such a longstanding supporter of the trainer.
Fresh from a win over this course and distance on Guineas weekend, Strong Johnson coped well with a 9lb rise in the weights for this five-furlong dash where very few counted.
From the outset the winner, Jungle Jane and Urban Beat battled up front and they were still inseparable at the finale. In a bobbing finish, Strong Johnson and Colin Keane were not found wanting and they got the verdict by a short-head over Jungle Jane. It was perhaps a tip in itself that the former champion jockey got down to his minimum weight of 8st 9lb to take the mount on the 5/2 favourite.
“I’m speechless really as for a small yard like our it’s hard to compete and when you do get the chance in races like this the photo often goes against you,” reflected an emotional Cotter.
“About a year and a half ago Danny Murphy came on board with us and has brought in a better type of horse and we’ve been getting results and we start work on a new barn in the morning. This horse is still young and I’d love to give him a few weeks on grass before bringing him back for later in the season.”
Reliable
At the other end of the distance spectrum, the reliable Dalton Highway (14/1) claimed the two-mile Irish Stallion Farms EBF Handicap for Dermot Weld and Andy Slattery and owners Ronan Lambe and John Climax.
This consistent seven-year-old certainly deserved to win again on the flat having been placed in four premier handicaps last season while he was running for the first time since scoring over hurdles at Leopardstown in December.
The strong-travelling De Name Escapes Me caught the eye for much of the last half mile, but after looking sure to score he was unable to withstand Dalton Highway whose strong last furlong surge saw him prevail by a length and a quarter.
“He’s a great old servant who likes this place and very seldom runs a bad race. He’ll follow a similar route to last year and we’ll look at all those good staying handicaps with him,” stated the trainer’s son Kris.
THE ultra-reliable Speak In Colours (100/30) broke new ground in his already fine career as he struck at Group 2 level for the first time in the Weatherbys Ireland Greenlands Stakes.
A regular in top sprints, the Joseph O’Brien-trained grey was making a quick return to the fray following his fifth to Hello Youmzain at Royal Ascot and looked as good as ever under Shane Crosse (riding his biggest winner to date) who positioned his mount at the head of the field from the outset.
As he approached the last furlong, the Chantal Regalado-Gonzalez-owned horse looked set to win nicely but, at the line, a rallying Forever In Dreams had cut back the deficit to a head.
Consistent horse
“He’s a great, consistent horse who turns up and runs his race every day. He got a lovely ride from Shane who was able to control the race – we don’t usually ride him so forward but we felt there wasn’t much pace on today,” stated O’Brien.
“He’s run a lot of his best races here over six furlongs but he’s run well over seven furlongs too and I suppose we will try Group 1 level again with him at some stage.”
Harrington again
A good weekend for Jessica Harrington was rounded off by Njord (10/1) who shrugged off top weight for the 10-furlong Equine Medirecord in some style with a near last to first charge in the straight.
Shane Foley had just one horse behind off the last bend and only asked his mount to pick up inside the last quarter of a mile but the rider’s confidence was totally justified as Njord (10/1) powered past the field to win going away by two lengths.
The winner is owned by the Blessingindisguise Partnership for whom he has won twice in three starts since costing €54,000 at last year’s Goffs Horses In Training Sale.
“It was his first time at the trip and he loved it and the juice in the ground. He’s won at Galway before so we might go back there, possibly for the Colm Quinn BMW Mile,” said the trainer’s daughter Kate.
A DEBUT success for Hudson River in the Barronstown Stud Irish EBF (C&G) Maiden marked out this son of Galileo and the top sprinter Mecca’s Angel as being more than ready to test his mettle at pattern level in the coming weeks.
Aidan O’Brien fielded three runners for this often informative race and Hudson River, the mount of Seamie Heffernan, was much the best. The 3/1 joint-favourite was professional from the front and when he moved through the gears over the last couple of furlongs he shaped like a colt who could go far in the juvenile ranks. At the line he had a length and a half to spare over fellow newcomer Ace Aussie.
“He’s a lovely colt and he might be one that we could bring to the July meeting (Superlative Stakes) at Newmarket. He’ll probably end up being a miler,” stated O’Brien.
Valley triumphs
The Ballydoyle trainer and Heffernan then teamed up to take the 10-furlong Finlay Volvo Cars Race with Tiggy Wiggy’s half-brother Napa Valley who was following up a debut triumph at Leopardstown two weeks previously.
The evens favourite headed his stablemate Keats with well over a furlong to run but the latter kept him honest and there was just three-quarters of a length between them at the finish.
“He’s a lovely, straightforward type and he got that trip well having won over a mile on his debut. I’d say he could even go a mile and a half and possibly he’ll be one for races like the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood or the Great Voltigeur at York,” stated the trainer.
The promising Aunty Bridy (9/1 - 6/1) provided Jim Bolger with his first juvenile winner of the season in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden.
On a day when runners at the Curragh once again had a tailwind to guide them home, Kevin Manning’s mount travelled powerfully in the front rank and showed a nice attitude in the closing stages to hold the strong-finishing Sister Rosetta by a short-head.
The odds-on favourite Snowfall finished second last but was lucky not to come down as she was poised behind the winner when catching a heel which cost her any chance of getting involved. The victorious daughter of Camacho is owned by David Granville.
“We trained for the owner many years ago and Jim is delighted to have this filly for him. Hopefully she can step up into listed company,” stated the trainer’s daughter Una Manning.