Clon Rocket scorches home

Clon Rocket stayed on best to serve up a 25/1 shock in the opening auction maiden for two-year-olds in Sligo.

Willie McCreery's charge had raced once before when coming home last of 13 in Navan after being slowly away.

It was a different story today as he was ridden into sixth entering the straight and improved to third at the furlong pole. He got to the front inside the final 150 yards and strode on to win by two and a quarter lengths. Set To Fire (16/1) ran on well for second. She was half a length up on Fair Game (7/1).

Winning trainer Willie McCreery said: "He had been working well but went mad at the start at Navan and started attacking the stalls. Coming here I was just afraid that he had such a fright the first day and while he has been castrated since, it took a long time to get the hormone levels out of him.

"Billy (Lee) gave him a lovely patient ride and I was lucky to get him in today as he was 10 on the ballot. He is the first horse Michael and Anne O'Donnell, from the Curragh, have had with me and they bred him themselves."

Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes