EXACTLY a year to the day after she claimed the Northfields Handicap at the Curragh on Irish Champions Weekend, the Jim Bolger-trained Panstarr secured an even more notable success with a first blacktype victory in the Listed Edmund & Josie Whelan Memorial Listowel Stakes.
Since that lucrative success, the Godolphin-owned four-year-old has posted a series of good efforts at listed and Group 3 level and she was a more than deserving winner given her consistency. Panstarr’s ability to tolerate testing ground was a notable positive as steady rain throughout the day made this nine-furlong race an exacting assignment for many of its contestants.
Kevin Manning kept the daughter of Pivotal close to the pace and the 8/1 shot then held the outright lead as she neared the straight. She soon shook off Iiex Excelsa but, over the last furlong and a half, she had to be at her most determined to fend off Ship Of Dreams. At the line Panstarr had a neck to spare, with Hence finishing four and a half lengths in third.
“She’s a very consistent and versatile filly. She goes on good ground and she likes it soft and Kevin gave her a great ride. The low draw was probably a big help to her today as well,” said Bolger’s representative Ger Flynn.
He has yet to try his hand at stakes level but there is little doubt that Astronomer is a group horse in the making on the evidence of his tour de force in the €50,000 Sky Sports Racing Launching in 2019 Handicap. Aidan O’Brien’s colt came here off wins in a Galway maiden and a Bellewstown handicap but produced by far his best effort to date on ground that was probably softer than ideal for him.
Donnacha O’Brien had the 2/1 favourite nicely positioned from early on and this mile and a half race was as good as over when the 96-rated Astronomer strode on before the straight. The Galileo colt maintained a relentless gallop to come home seven lengths ahead of Lady Camelot.
“He doesn’t do anymore than he has to. He is definitely progressive and is very likeable.
“He has to be a group horse after the rating he’s going to get now,” observed the winning rider.
Aidan O’Brien then struck in the valuable Irish Stallion Farms EBF Premier Nursery as Mount Tabora (100/30) was rewarded for some honourable efforts in decent maidens. The son of Scat Daddy had to settle for fourth behind the top-weight Zander in a Galway Festival maiden last time out but he was 10lb better off with that rival here.
When the favourite, Invincible Karma, folded with over a furlong to run, the Seamie Heffernan-ridden Mount Tabora finished out well to win by three-quarters of a length.
“A lot of the horses were running like they were under a cloud but they all seem to be coming out of their races well whereas before they were taking a few days to settle,” declared the successful jockey.
The conditions may have been against some of her rivals but they brought out the best in the Sheila Lavery-trained Burning Question (11/2) who ran riot in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Handicap to score by 14 lengths.
Gary Carroll sent the Galway Festival winner straight to the front and the pair were untroubled thereafter. Over the course of the last two furlongs, the Question Mark Syndicate-owned filly cruised into an ever increasing lead which saw her cross the line in splendid isolation.
“We’ve been waiting for soft ground with her. She handles this ground well and most of the others didn’t so hopefully the handicapper doesn’t take the form literally,” reflected the jockey.
Punters enjoyed a superb start to the meeting but it was all change in the day two opener as Check My Pulse (8/1) upstaged the leading market fancies Mofakker and All The King’s Men (evens) in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden.
The Andy Slattery-trained winner shaped up well on his debut at Leopardstown in mid-July and duly built on that showing with an all-the-way success under Ben Coen.
Mofakker loomed up menacingly off the last bend but Check My Pulse responded well to pressure to move on again nearing the final furlong and he crossed the line with a length and a half to spare.
This victory saw Coen move into a tie for the lead in the apprentice jockeys’ championship, less than a year after his first ride on the track.
“He had a lovely first run and all of ours are taking a run this year as we weren’t able to get them on grass to work,” stated Slattery. “He’s big and I do believe that he will be a better horse next year.”
It was only three runs ago that Pillar’s (10/1) career record stood at one win from 55 starts, but a game success in the Feale Handicap meant that the Adrian McGuinness stalwart took his tally to three victories from 58 outings.
A first Listowel winner for owner Sean Gallagher, the five-year-old was dealt the potentially mortal blow of a stall 14 draw, but Shane Foley deftly got him across to the rail to show in front from early on. Unfazed by these early exertions, Pillar repelled the persistent effort of Polly Douglas by a head.
“He broke very smartly. From his draw, I didn’t think he’d be able to get to the front but Shane was just very good on him,” remarked McGuinness.
The card concluded with a 40/1 success for the Andy Oliver’s Shatharaat in the seven-furlong maiden. After helping to make the running, the Kodiac gelding stuck to his task well in the straight for Wayne Lordan to come home two and a quarter lengths clear of Laughifuwant.
The winner was providing his trainer with a fine return on the mere 1,200gns he cost at a horses in training sale in May.
Keane banned
COLIN Keane was hit with a three-day whip ban for his efforts on Zander in the premier nursery.
ACTING STEWARDS
P. McLernon, J. McGuire, M. Carroll, J. O’Donoghue, P.D. Matthews
HORSE TO FOLLOW
POLLY DOUGLAS (K.P. Cotter): She has yet to win this season but this five-year-old has put together several decent efforts in defeat lately and her second to Pillar signalled that she should be making her mark before the end of the season.