PAT Shanahan eyed some big targets for The Tartan Spartan after his charge toughed it out best in Her Majesty’s Plate at Down Royal.
The four-year-old colt was steered into the lead by Ronan Whelan over a furlong from home and kept on well for pressure to score by a length and a half for Thistle Bloodstock Limited.
He saw sustained support at the track from 16/1 to 10/1 for this mile and six test, which was in its second year as a listed race.
Shanahan said: “Not bad for his first run in Ireland! A nice horse, he always has been a nice horse. He’s in the Irish Leger and he’ll probably go there now. Long-term we could head for the Melbourne Cup if he gets high enough in the ratings. I’d imagine his next target will probably be the Irish Leger. If he runs well in the Leger he could go up again.
“He’s a massive, big horse. We didn’t train him as a two-year-old. He won a very good maiden in Thirsk as a three-year-old. He’s been campaigned high but he is back to his own level now. He has been knocking on the door in very competitive races.”
Johnny Murtagh’s Sankari Royale (4/1) took the scalp of odds-on-favourite Treasuring by a couple of lengths in the opening 100% Magners Irish Cider Race over five furlongs.
Niall McCullagh employed a change of tactics on Richard Frayne’s filly who raced in rear before being produced to lead with 150 yards to race.
Murtagh said: “She has been done a couple of times but I thought the way the race would set up today it might suit her. She has been doing the donkey work the last couple of times and just getting caught.
“Niall says she dropped in and relaxed well. She quickened up well – there was two smart fillies there. She is improving all the time. I think she will be able to step up to six furlongs as well. We might go for a little blacktype along the line.
“It was probably the first time she has been dropped in. She wasn’t quite sure what was happening but he said when he asked her to go she quickened up well today and got to the line really well.”
Mr Michael took advantage of his mark of 50 as he captured the Apple Orchard Handicap over five furlongs. Shane Foley’s mount asserted inside the final furlong to go on by two and a half lengths at 6/1.
Adrian Joyce trained the four-year-old to victory for his mother Christina Joyce and said: “He has always showed us that ability, he has just been a bit slow to come to hand. The last three runs have been positive with him. He’s down to that kind of a mark that he should be winning those kind of races. He ran in Gowran and he got no run – he got stopped a few times.
“Shane gave him a beautiful ride there, he dropped him in and there was plenty of pace in the race. He came there and he won well. He stays six and he’s quick enough for five so we’ll go for something similar – a fast pace and he can come home well.”
Lisard Lady made quite an impression when scything through the field from rear to win the Foran Equine Irish EBF Auction Maiden on debut for owner/trainer Tom Cooper.
The Bated Breath filly took the honours by half a length at 16/1 but her success didn’t surprise Cooper who said: “She was in all sorts of trouble and had to get out. I always thought she was very sharp and I was proved right. She’s been away to Tipperary and Killarney after racing and she knows her job. She’s for sale.
“Wayne (Lordan) said she took off when she got daylight. I knew I wasn’t coming up from Co Kerry with a no hoper!”
Sean Gallagher’s Guanabara Bay (16/1) booked his ticket to Galway after getting up on the line in the Magners Light Handicap to nail Harry Speed by a short-head, with Botanical Lady a further head away in third.
“A very, very competitive race. I just felt today he has dropped back in grade. He’s a little bit of a rascal jumping out but he has plenty of ability. We needed Declan (McDonogh) on him to get him up. He got him home so it was great to get it,” trainer Ado McGuinness said.
“We have him entered at Galway next week and he will go – it’s seven in Galway, he’ll go seven or a mile. He’ll go there with a decent chance. Hopefully we’ll have Declan again, he doesn’t like getting off winning rides!”
Johnny Feane was full of praise for jockey Sean Davis who drove Set To Fire (5/1) home by a nose to land the Magners original Apprentice Handicap for owner Orlagh Reynolds.
“Sean just about got there! She met a bit of trouble in running but I think that sort of suits her coming from behind. She settled well,” Feane said.
“Sean’s a good rider, he has loads of potential. His head is right, he is a great weight and is very strong for the weight. He has a bright future.”
Boom Or Bush put it all together in the Magners Forbidden Flavours Handicap for Omagh owners Brian Mellon and Peter McBride. Pat Smullen sent him into the lead a quarter of a mile from home and the pair soon had the race sewn up as they scored by two and a half lengths at 7/2.
Trainer Harry Rogers said: “He has always promised it. That’s why Pat stuck with him, he was very keen to ride him. He got down to 1lb over. Pat told me beforehand that’s how he was going to ride him. When you have him on your side it’s a big help.
“Boom Or Bush did it well and I think there is more in him, he’s on the right side of the handicap. He’s in Galway on Friday, that’s the plan to go there with him. Slower ground would even suit him a bit better. It’s a mile race, I think the further you go the better he is. Pat said he got away with that but slower (ground) would be better.
“He promised plenty as a two-year-old and was a little bit disappointing this year. We put blinkers on him and cheekpieces, we tried everything with him. We just decided we would leave him alone and ride him differently.”
Misty Mountain was disqualified from third place after Colm O’Donoghue failed to weigh-in. The jockey was hit with a five-day suspension and ordered by the stewards to forfeit his riding fee.
ACTING STEWARDS
R.S. Martin, L. McFerran, R. W. Steele, D. McCorkell & H. Hynes
HORSE TO FOLLOW
SHELBE (M G Quinn): Didn’t enjoy a clear passage at all but kept on well. Could be another race in her.