SHANE Crosse and Ben Coen have been dominating the exchanges at the head of the apprentice jockeys’ championship but the latter’s first cousin Andrew Slattery has also been making a very notable impression lately and he secured his sixth winner in the last three weeks courtesy of a back-to-form Sors in the extended five-furlong handicap.
After winning a handicap at this track in the opening weeks of the season, Sors then struggled for form, but he took advantage of his lowest rating (73) since May 2016 to make all the running here.
The six-year-old, who has seven career victories to his name, held a clear lead over his rivals from early on and none was ever able to get back on terms.
The top-weight, Arcanears, did best of the chasing pack but she still finished three-quarters of a length adrift of the Men Of Forty Eight Syndicate-owned winner.
“The bit of ease in the ground helped and he has come down the handicap too,” said the jockey’s father and winning trainer, Andy Slattery.
“He hasn’t been himself this summer but he’s been coming back lately and we’ll keep him going for a bit longer so he’ll probably head to Dundalk on Friday week for a six-furlong handicap.”
MAIDEN WIN
Dapper Power rewarded the considerable patience of his connections as he opened his account at the second time of asking in the extended five-furlong maiden. A close relation of the brilliant Slade Power, this Dandy Man gelding represents the same connections as he is trained by Eddie Lynam, owned by Sabena Power, and was ridden by Wayne Lordan.
However, the €42,000 foal purchase had to wait until September of his four-year-old season to make his debut and a month on from that promising beginning to win. He justified 7/4 favouritism.
Dapper Power showed a good attitude over the last furlong to contain Peshkova by a neck.
“We’ve always liked him but he’s had a lot of setbacks. As a yearling he had a chip in a fetlock and he was then persistently lame,” reflected Lynam.
“He’s no Slade Power or Sole Power but he’s a big horse and hopefully there will be some fun to be had with him as sprint handicapper. I doubt he will go to Dundalk.”
Tide Of Time, who is out of a half-sister to Dapper Power, made it a double for Lynam in the 45-65 rated handicap over an extended six furlongs.
The Trevor Dalzell-owned four-year-old won over this course and distance 10 days previously and the manner of that success suggested that the 100/30 favourite was quite capable of coping with an 11lb rise up the weights.
Shane Foley’s mount had this race in safe keeping entering the last furlong and had more to spare than the half-length winning margin over Amazing One would suggest.
“He’s getting the hang of things and did that well. He’s one that might go to Dundalk and his family has been very lucky for us,” declared Lynam.
COSY WINNER
The Listowel bumper winner Scaglietti (9/2) made a seamless transition to the flat in the one-mile, five-furlong maiden.
The Willie Mullins-trained and Colin Keane-ridden five-year-old, who is a half-sister to her trainer’s 2009 Ebor Handicap heroine Sesenta, always seemed to be doing enough over the last quarter of a mile and she held the rallying pace-setter, Foreign Secretary, by half a length.
“She just pricked her ears when she got there and I’d say that she won a shade cosily. A longer trip and a little more ease in the ground wouldn’t be a problem for her and she’s a nice dual-purpose type for the future,” stated Keane, who was wearing the colours of the mare’s breeder, Michael Carroll.
As expected, the card kicked off with a winner for Aidan O’Brien as the Seamie Heffernan-ridden Western Frontier (13/8) readily accounted for stablemate Captainofthebounty in the five-furlong Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden.
The son of Scat Daddy, who began his career with two placed runs at this track, raced on the pace and asserted in good style inside the last quarter of a mile for a commanding three-length victory.
“The first two are similar horses and my one is maybe still a bit weak. He could easily progress into a stakes horse next year,” remarked Heffernan.
POWERFUL FINISH
Kieran Cotter’s Dash D’Or (5/1) has certainly found her form in the closing weeks of the season and she made it two victories and two second-place finishes from her last five starts in the five-furlong handicap.
Dylan Hogan got the late-maturing daughter of Le Cadre Noir to the front with well over a furlong to run and the five-year-old stayed on powerfully to prevail by two lengths.
“She disappointed here the last day but she can sulk when other horses come around her. She needs good ground so that’s probably her last run of the year on grass and we might bring her to Dundalk for a couple of runs now,” reported Kieran Cotter who trains the mare for owner-breeder David Mooney.
Ken Condon’s Man Of The Sea (8/1) took advantage of a slip in the ratings to land the five-furlong nursery under Billy Lee.
The David Kelly-owned son of Born To Sea was given an initial mark of 66 but he had been dropped to 58 for this, his eighth start of the season.
Emily Grace tried to slip the field after halfway but she was treading water entering the last furlong and Man Of The Sea headed her inside the last 150 yards en route to a length-and-a-quarter victory over Mi Esperanza.
Billy Lee then brought up a double as Conor O’Dwyer’s Trump Card bagged the concluding one-and-three-quarter-mile handicap.
The strong-travelling 16/1 shot looked to have everything covered when he eased to the front around two furlongs from home and he stayed on well to hold the chasing Jake Peter by three-parts of a length.
The Trump Syndicate-owned gelding snuck into the race as a first reserve.
“He’s been a bit unlucky along the way but I thought this would be ideal for him today. I was sick all week as he was number 30 to get in on the ballot but it’s great he got in,” commented O’Dwyer.
“He’ll tip away at Dundalk through the winter and I’d say he will go hurdling next summer.”
ACTING STEWARDS
P.N.Reynolds,
T.L. Crawford, W. Flood,
J. Hunt, P.D. Matthews.
HORSE TO FOLLOW
COMMODUS (J.P. O’Brien): She ran creditably under top weight in the nursery where she finished well to take third. She looks more than capable of making her mark in this grade.