Burke gets Well Tuned up in the bumper

Well Tuned got up in the closing stages to land the bumper at Roscommon this evening, the Frenchpark INH Flat Race, under Johnny Burke.

Trained and owned by John Nicholson (recording his second bumper winner in the space of four days), the four-year-old daughter of Flemensfirth opened at 7/2 this morning with Paddy Power, drifting out to 11/2 on-course before going off a 6/1 chance.

The bay filly was having her sixth start this evening, with her best previous effort coming over the course and distance in July, when she finished second, just four lengths behind Katie T.

She disappointed at Sligo on her next outing, but she ran well on her last start at Tramore, finishing third to Bluemountainbeach.

Having chased the leaders for much of the contest, she took closer order from over six furlongs out, and she was third before the straight.

She came with her challenge under pressure from over a furlong out, staying on best in the closing stages to get up close home, scoring by a head at the line. Bonobo ran on well to take second at 3/1 under Robbie McNamara (four pounds overweight) for Kevin Prendergast, while the 5/2 favourite, Alton Bay was just a neck back in third under Jane Mangan for Peter Fahey.

John Nicholson said afterwards: "I bought her at the August Sales last year. She was third at Tramore but she didn’t really handle the track.

"She is not a bad mare and I may give her one run over hurdles and then leave her off as she has been in for around twelve months."

After the race, the Stewards fined Robbie McNamara €150 for not alerting them to fact he could carry overweight, while they suspended him for one day for weighing in four pounds overweight.

Additional reporting by Alan Magee