SLIGO WEDNESDAY
By Ryan McElligott
THE improving Rayna made it four wins in succession as she maintained her unbeaten association with Gary Halpin to further strengthen John Oxx’s stranglehold on the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Connacht Oaks Fillies Handicap.
A third winner of this race in the last four years for Oxx, Rayna got off the mark in a Tramore maiden in May before winning two handicaps within five days last month.
Those victories were achieved under Halpin and this Aga Khan-owned filly has played a central role in what has been a memorable couple of months for the young apprentice who ended the evening with a double.
As she looked to extend her winning sequence, the 82-rated filly was sent off the 11/8 favourite and she cruised into a share of the lead with around three furlongs to run.
Rayna then shook off several potential challengers to enter the last furlong with a lead of several lengths and she pulled out more as the line loomed to hold the late charge of Dragon Fei by a head.
“I probably got there a bit soon but she’s very game and stayed going well. She wasn’t doing too much in front but she pulled out more once the other horse came to her,” said Halpin.
Eleven years to the day after riding his first winner, Rory Cleary captured the inaugural running of the Connacht Derby Handicap on Queen Of Alba.
The winning rider’s father and trainer, Tom, picked up the five-year-old for a mere €800 last October and she has proved quite a bargain with her efforts since having yielded two wins and five placings.
Following her unplaced run at Galway, the Moyclear Syndicate-owned winner was returning to a track that has supplied her with her sole win on Irish soil.
In a race where very few got involved, Queen Of Alba (9/1) looked on from second and then moved past Third Dimension to hold a good lead from early in the straight. Corona Borealis narrowed the deficit somewhat late on but he was still beaten five and a half lengths into second.
“She didn’t come down the hill that well last week and the rain probably didn’t come in time and she had a bad draw too,” stated Cleary snr.
“I was fairly confident today as she likes it here and had the ground to suit. For breeding purposes it would be great if we could pick up some blacktype with her.”
Footprint (13/2) also bounced back from an abortive trip to Galway and enhanced his fine course record as he repeated his 2012 victory in the Foley’s Bar & Off Licence Handicap.
As he went in search of his sixth career win - the first of which came here in September 2009 - the Pat Martin runner came out of the right side of a terrific four-way finish to the six and a half furlongs contest. At various stages in the last furlong Wexford Opera, Chillie Billie, and Lady Ultra looked as though they might carry the day but it was Footprint who hit the line best to give Andrew Thornton his first winner since May.
“Things just didn’t happen at Galway. He had a lovely position but then got bump from the inside after a furlong. I’d say the ground might have been a shade quick for him too,” reported Martin, who trains the winner for Raymond Moore.
“Andrew gets on particularly well with him and this horse has his own characteristics but he’s very brave. A cut in the ground is important to him.”
He had to settle for second in this race last year but Back Off Mate (4/1) went a place better in the latest edition of the Sligo Weekender Apprentice Maiden.
Now a winner on the flat over hurdles and over fences, the Marcus Beresford-owned six-year-old turned in a game effort for Ronan Whelan.
Pressure
He was under pressure inside the last half mile to get past Marty’s Magic but he responded well and led approaching the straight after which he stayed on stoutly to succeed by two and a half lengths from Fire Belt.
Arthur Moore, who trains the winner for Marcus Beresford, declared: “The ground was just a bit quick for him at the Curragh last time (unplaced in the Ladies Derby).
He could be back over jumps at Tramore next and then he might go to the Curragh for the Amateur’s Derby.”
Jim Bolger will have derived considerable satisfaction from the debut success of Vocal Nation (9/2) in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Auction Maiden.
Not only did the filly do well to overcome a lack of previous experience but she has the distinction of being the first winner sired by Vocalised, who was trained by Bolger to win the Loughbrown, Greenham and Tetrarch Stakes in 2009.
The Kevin Manning ridden filly held every chance from the turn in but it was only in the last stride that she found a way past the game front runner Newton Bomb.
“She travelled well but she was quite green and this wouldn’t be an ideal track for a newcomer,” reported Ger Flynn. “We know the family and she’s a half-sister to Fionnuar who won four for us and hopefully she can build on this when she goes into nurseries.”
In addition to landing the night’s feature, Gary Halpin was on board Splashtop who gave Patrick Prendergast his sixth winner from his last 11 runners in the six and a half furlongs nursery.
The 100/30 favourite, who was second in two maidens earlier in the season, had to settle for fourth to Intenser (fifth here) in the first nursery of the season but comprehensively reversed that form.
The Grangecon Stud-owned daughter of Big Bad Bob picked off the pace setting Cleano inside the distance to prevail by two and a half lengths.
Hallo Rosie (8/1) turned in a very willing effort from the front to capture the 47-65 rated mile and a half handicap for Chris Hayes and Paul Deegan.
The daughter of Alhaarth, who was third to An Fear Ciuin at Wexford last time, was strongly pressed by Uncharted Waters from two furlongs out and the latter got to the front inside the distance.
A determined Hallo Rosie would not be denied, though, and found more late on to win by a head.
ACTING STEWARDS
A. Ryan, D. Pugh ,P. Allen, S. Walford, P.D. Matthews
HORSE TO FOLLOW
STONY GREY (A. Oliver): A highly progressive handicapper last autumn, he was well held on his return to action at Galway last week but offered encouragement when third in the Connacht Derby. There could be better to come from him in the coming weeks.