THE second day of Listowel’s June meeting began with a 100/1 winner as Ti Sento upstaged his much better-fancied rivals in the six-runner Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden to earn a possible berth at Goffs London Sale.

A £75,000 purchase at the breeze-up sales a couple of months ago and a son of the Group 3-winning juvenile Golden Legacy, this son of Invincible Spirit had to settle for eighth in a Navan maiden eight days previously with the result that he was allowed to go off as an unconsidered contestant for this extended six-furlong affair.

He produced a nice performance under Ronan Whelan and quickened up far better than his rivals approaching the final furlong to sweep to the front and record a three-length success over Blindsided. The odds-on Congo River had to settle for third behind the winner who is owned by Mark Devlin, Tony O’Callaghan and Nigel O’Hare.

“We were very disappointed at Navan but he missed the break and got terribly unbalanced and Ronnie (Whelan) didn’t knock him about,” reported the trainer. “He wasn’t a cheap horse and was showing plenty at home and he certainly wasn’t a 100/1 shot but it was a fair race on paper.

“He is a good horse and he will be sold.”

Cunning moves

The Aengus King-owned and trained Miss Cunning struck at the much more conservative price of 9/1 in the 47-65 rated Betty McGrath Memorial Handicap over a mile.

However, the five-year-old would have been a huge price to score after a slow start left her with just one rival behind her through the first half of the race.

On the approach to the straight, Jake Coen began to pick off one rival after another and a game Miss Cunning kept finding for pressure to land in front nearing the line to prevail by one and three-quarter lengths.

“I thought the game was up after the start but she’s very genuine and when she gets rolling she just keeps finding for you,” commented King who also sent out this five-year-old to win at Dundalk in February.

APPRENTICE Alan Glynn enjoyed a welcome change of luck aboard Princess Rajj in the 50-85 rated Croom House Stud Handicap over seven furlongs as Jessica Harrington’s charge gave the jockey his first winner since October 2019.

Also owned by her trainer, the winner picked up a 12lb hike in the ratings for scoring at Sligo last month but looks a filly on the up on the evidence of this success in quite a reasonable contest.

From early in the straight, the 12/1 chance always seemed to be going that bit better than the front-running Galleria Borghese and she had the measure of the last-named throughout the last furlong, eventually prevailing by half a length.

Lee on Fire

Billy Lee followed up his double on Saturday with a victory aboard the Andrew Kinirons-trained Elmos Fire (6/4) in the colts and geldings’ maiden over a mile.

As he looked to build on a good second to Silken Ladder in a Killarney handicap last month, the Thomas Koehler-owned son of New Bay turned in a very likeable display.

After striking the front turning for home, Elmos Fire looked to be in trouble when joined by Hotrocket as the last furlong loomed.

He had plenty of reserves to call upon though and drew right away when pressed to score by three and a half lengths.

“He is improving and a galloping track would suit him but it was a nice race for him today,” remarked the trainer who also has care of the winner’s juvenile half-sister for his Germany-based owner.

A CARD that kicked off with a major surprise concluded with another big-priced winner as jockey Abbie Fitzgibbon recorded her first success in the saddle when Dark Spark, owned by her uncle Nelius O’Keeffe and trained by Michael Winters, struck at 22/1 in the St Johns Theatre Listowel (Q.R.) Race.

On his first start since December, this capable dual National Hunt winner looked to have plenty on his place against a field that contained rivals with ratings of 104 and 93.

However, he bossed this race from the front after recovering quickly from a slow start. Dark Spark, who won a Kilbeggan bumper by 15 lengths on his debut a couple of years ago, was still maintaining a good lead entering the last couple of furlongs and he readily repelled Barbados with the odds-on Dance Jupiter only a further three and a half lengths away in third. A beginners’ chase is likely to be next for the winner.

“I was praying I’d get to the line in front. He’s got a high cruising speed not a change of gear but he stays at that gallop the whole time and thankfully he stuck it out well,” remarked the rider.

“My family are much more into hurling and my brother plays for the Cork senior hurlers. It was actually my uncle who got me into horses and we bought this horse as a foal with a view to selling him on, but we ended up keeping him and he’s brought us a good bit of joy.”

Kevin Coleman notched up his fourth success of the season when Coumshingaun justified 5/2 favouritism under Wayne Lordan in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden.

This daughter of Fastnet Rock, who is owned by the trainer’s mother Eileen, was dropping back into maiden company following five handicap runs and she produced a nice effort.

She led around a quarter of a mile from home and was soon in charge before a two-and-a-half-length triumph over Are We Dreaming.

Breslin’s Tavern

Like Wayne Lordan and Ronan Whelan, Seamie Heffernan was on duty at Epsom for the Derby the previous day and he too marked his return to domestic action with a winner aboard Tony Martin’s Buckman Tavern (2/1) in the Lane Family Memorial Handicap over two miles.

The John Breslin-owned gelding, who was continuing a fine run for his trainer, built on a decent placed effort behind Magnetic North at Navan in late April with a game effort.Buckman Tavern ran down the front-running favourite Jon Snow in the straight to finish with a length and a quarter to spare.