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Michael Graham

Michael Graham

Zander rewards connections in Ballybrit

Mon 30th Jul 2018, 19:01

Zander, left, cuts them down in GalwayZander, left, cuts them down in Galway
© Photo Healy Racing

Zander came six wide in the straight to mow down his rivals in the seven furlong juvenile maiden in Galway.

The Oasis Dream colt was sixth approaching the straight but finished with a flourish to get up on the outside and win going away by a length and a quarter at 10/1. Wargrave came in second at 4/1. He was the same distance in front of fellow 4/1 chance Power Of Now.

Ger Lyons said: “This is where you earn your money - you make calls to run back. You can take the easy route and do the right thing and wait.

“Everything went wrong on Friday night and we’d have been working him on Saturday morning if he didn’t run. It turned into a piece of work for him, so I took the view if the rain falls and he’s okay and eats up then I’d come back here on Monday.

“Colin said they went a million miles an hour. It’s riding slower than you would expect and he felt they had to stop the speed they went. Our horse wants a mile going forward so it’s nice to tick a box with him and it’s another for that owner thank God.

“He has to improve to be a Stakes horse but who knows.”

Jockey Colin Keane, in the Khalid Abdullah silks, added: "He only ran the other day and he misbehaved and when the rain came here we said we would run him back quick. That's the ground he wants.

"He's a horse that is going to get better when he steps up in trip."

Zander got upset in the stalls at Down Royal on Friday evening before finishing fourth.

Additional reporting by Alan Magee

1st
10/1
Tote €12.80 €2.60
2nd
1.25L
4/1
€1.50
3rd
1.25L
4/1
€1.40
4th
1.5L
15/8Fav
About Michael Graham
Michael has worked in horse racing journalism for more than 15 years, having also written a weekly betting column on Gaelic football and hurling for a newspaper. He is involved in writing the My Racing Story features on this website. He spent a year in South Africa completing a Diploma in Business Administration and also studied Newspaper Journalism in Belfast. He enjoys playing 5-a-side football on a regular basis.