TOGOVILLE became the first horse to win 10 races on the all-weather at Dundalk when the Anthony McCann-trained nine-year-old won the Coral Best Price Guaranteed Handicap, at odds of 33/1, on Friday.
The gelding, won his first race at the Co Louth track for trainer Georgios Pakidis, in December 2014, and bagged his third Dundalk win for McCann, who has had care of Togoville since late 2017.
He edged past He’s Our Music, Sharjah, Six Silver lane and Reckless Lad as the winningmost horse at the stadium.
A delighted McCann later reported: “It wasn’t a shock – the shock this morning was the price of him!
“He had slipped right back down in the handicap, he probably needed every bit of it and with young Andy’s [Slattery] 7lb claim off as well, it was brilliant.
“He gave him a great ride. He got hampered coming out of the stalls and I thought he might have thrown the towel in but he didn’t.
“He’s a tough cookie. I was very lucky to get him and a big thanks to Patrick McCann [owner] and his family for supporting me.
“We were chasing this for a while [the 10th win]. He was second in this race last year, he won it the year before so this is his time of year and it’s good to get him back in good form.
“It took a while, the were a couple of issues with him but we got them ironed out.”
COURSE SPECIALIST
Half an hour later, another Dundalk specialist, Park Row (13/2), gained his sixth win at the track when landing the Coral Download The App Handicap for father and son, trainer and jockey combination Denis and Ross Coakley.
Trainer Coakley is a huge fan of the gelding and later quipped: “He’s exciting and I’ll be hoarse now for days after that!
“What can you say, he’s just brilliant. Hopefully he keeps improving, I felt coming into the race he was in good form with the vibes I was getting from him.
“I suppose we’ll go back to the grass, we might give him another five or six weeks. We’ll step him up to two miles at some stage, I think he’ll stay now that he’s older and stronger.
“We were all away on holidays about three weeks ago and I have to thank Michael Halford and his staff for looking after him while we were away.”
Trainer Jim Bolger registered a double at the venue, with both his winners shedding their maiden tags. Laethanta Saoire was by far his more notable one as she landed the Coral Free Bets For Lengths Maiden under stable jockey Kevin Manning.
The filly got in as second reserve and on-track was well supported from 4/1 to 2/1 at the off. She got up close home to edge past leader Avigale and score a neck win.
Laethanta Saoire, by Bolger’s Derby winner New Approach, is out of the Frances Crowley-trained Irish 1000 Guineas winner Saoire, and following the race Manning reported: “She’s a very well-bred filly and had a very good run in Navan first time, in listed company which was a big ask.
“She’s going the right way and she’s done that well tonight.
“She was working like a nice maiden last year at home and he let her take her chance in the listed race.
“We never got another run into her after that but she has been working like a nice maiden all the time.
“She’s a filly that will probably get a bit further. I always felt from the turn in that I had him covered but in all fairness to Gary’s horse when I got upsides him he picked up and came with me.
“That’s the first time she’s been in front and I think there is a lot of improvement in her.”
DOUBLE
Three hours later, Bolger completed his double as the home-bred New Vocation (8/1) landed the concluding NR Rubber Products Handicap under jockey Willie Byrne.
The daughter of Vocalised made it 13th time lucky when making all to beat Noble Intention by a length and three-quarters.
Afterwards jockey Byrne reported: “She took a breather with me last week and just cleared her lungs. She won well today.
“She bombed out in front and loved every minute of it. I gave her a breather turning in, she finished out well and I’m very happy with her.
“She had plenty left in the tank and when I asked her to go she really rattled up the straight.
“That’s my fifth winner and Mr Bolger is very good to me. He’s the only one keeping me going at the moment and this is my fourth year with him.”
May Peace Prevail (5/1) was a noteworthy winner of the James Watters Wholesale Maiden as the Andy McNamara-trained gelding defied the challenge of the Dermot Weld-trained Hazel Bay – who had finished second in a listed race on her only start last April – to score a short-head success.
May Peace Prevail, under jockey Colin Keane, battled gamely in the home straight to edge past Hazel Bay close home.
Following the race trainer McNamara reported by phone.
“He is a big, beautiful horse with plenty ability. He ran a lovely race on his debut and came on from the run nicely and should go on again from this.
“He improved with the step up in trip but isn’t a slow horse either.
“He is for sale and you’d think he will have no problem stepping into listed class now.”
Jockey Keane added: “He’s a lovely big horse as you can see from the size of him.
“He took all the time he needed from his first run to his second and also the step up in trip helped. He’s a horse that will probably get further in time.
“He was still a little green when he got there and he was good and game to battle back against a filly that had a very good run in Navan.
“Coming into it, to be honest, I thought I was going to finish second as her first run was a very good run.
“Between a Dundalk maiden and a middle of the summer listed race in Navan is a big difference in form but he’s obviously come forward a lot and I think he’ll improve again because he’s a fine big horse.”
IMPRESSIVE WIN
Crossingoz gained her second win in the winter series, when landing division two of the Coral Bet €5 Get €20 In Free Bets Handicap for trainer Billy Fitzpatrick and jockey Conor Hoban.
It took the daughter of Aussie Rules over four years from her debut run in October 2014 to gain a first success, last November, and the seven-year-old mare doubled her tally when beating Mulzamm by half a length.
“She loves the surface here,” said Fitzpatrick. “You’re very fortunate if you have a horse that’s able to do that as not every horse handles it.
“We ran her over the mile-two and 150 yards here before but she’s really a mile-and-one filly and that just stretched her. The mile here is lovely for her.”
The opening Smart Money’s On Coral Handicap was won by the Ado McGuinness-trained, Tom Madden-partnered Hee Haw (7/1), in the colours of Mark Devlin, who eventually wore down leader Ty Rock Brandy inside the final furlong to score a half-length win over the fast-finishing Your Pal Tal.
McGuinness said: “We thought he’d win two runs ago and he let us down.
“I didn’t put a saddle on him for 10 days and when I saw that the entries were small for the race here on Monday I entered him and we rode him out on Monday afternoon.
“He hasn’t had a gallop and we just left him mad fresh. I put plenty of wool around his head tonight!
“I put the cheekpieces on him tonight as in England he won with them on first time so I’d try a change.
“Six is probably his trip, he was off it early but stayed at it well then. He’s tough and hardy and I think he’ll even be better with a bit of juice in the ground.
“I might give him another week off, not ride him and try the same trick again.
“It great to win for the lads and we’ll just tip away with him.”
Trainer Eddie Lynam and jockey Oisin Orr were on the mark in the Coral Bet €5 Get €20 In Free Bets Handicap (div 1) with Masalai, who gained a second career success in the colours of Lynam’s wife Aileen.
Masalai had gained his only previous win at the venue in November 2017.
Lynam said: “He’s a little bit timid, he’s not the toughest old horse in the place.
“I thought here one night last year that he’d won but when they called out the result he was beat a short-head. It’s nice to see him get his head in front again.
“He was tiring when he got a bump here last time and it didn’t effect the result.
“He deserved to win another race. Unfortunately I’d imagine he’ll get 3lbs or more so he’ll go out of this grade and that’s a big step of stairs to move up.
“We’ll come back here in a few weeks and find something for him.”
HORSE TO FOLLOW:
HAZEL BAY (D.K. Weld): Finished second on her comeback run following a 10-month absence and looks a likely type to win her maiden in the coming weeks.
ACTING STEWARDS:
L. McFerran, M. Cosgrave, T.L. Crawford,
F.G. Fitzsimons, L. Walsh