Colgan times it to perfection on Amanirenas

Robbie Colgan delivered Amanirenas with a well timed challenge to make a winning handicap debut in the Ryans Cleaning Events & Recycling Handicap at Leopardstown.

The Michael Grassick trained filly only had the mandatory three runs for a mark but belied her relative inexperience when bursting through a gap late on to go and win for owner Renata Coleman.

Colgan was content to watch from the rear in the initial stages, as Morning Soldier cut out the running. Turning into the straight, the Grassick filly was travelling better than most but needed the gaps to open in order for her to make her move.

As Morning Soldier fell away and Navagio moved to the rail, an opening appeared for Amanirenas and she was brave enough to take it. Inside the last furlong, it was a three-way battle between the latter named horses and Princess Rajj but Amanirenas quickened the best to land the spoils.

“We liked her in the spring, she tweaked something at the back of her knee the last day and that's why she hasn't run for two months,” said Grassick.

“We've been slowly nursing her back and I honestly thought she'd need the run today but I felt she was well treated. Ideally I wanted to go and win a maiden but I felt the handicapper had been generous to me.

“She did everything wrong in Dundalk and got beat. The form of her first run in Cork wasn't too bad but last time she hit every ridge in Gowran and got totally unbalanced. She just wasn't 100 percent after that.

“I was hoping that was in her but I just didn't think it would be today. She'll come forward from today.

“She seems to be getting a little bit more professional. I don't know why she ran with the choke out in Dundalk, she got no cover.

“We'll find a nice fillies handicap somewhere with her. She seems to stay the seven well and doesn't mind the good ground so she'll probably be out quick enough again.”

Additional reporting by Gary Carson