Donal Murphy
Fast finishing Sky nabs Landau
Hurricane Sky & Fran Berry (white cap) come to tackle Landau (grey) and Jack Kennedy
© Photo Healy Racing
Hurricane Sky came from well off the pace as he got up in the dying strides to land the Leopardstown Summer Membership Handicap under Fran Berry for Charles O'Brien and owner JP McManus.
Placed on his last two starts the son of Hurricane Run was settled towards rear and was ridden in thirteenth entering the straight.
He was still thirteenth with under two furlongs to race but he soon took off down the outer, getting to the front in the final strides to win by a head at the odds of 11/2. Landau was the one he just denied and the Gordon Elliott trained gelding had to settle for second at 6/1 (was 14/1 last night with Powers) under Jack Kennedy. Well Tuned (16/1) was a further two and a half lengths back in third under Donnacha O'Brien for John Nicholson. Dancing Noretta was sent off the well-backed favourite (9/2 last night and from 5/2 to 15/8 on-course) but she could only manage a disappointing eleventh under Shane Foley for Jessica Harrington.
Charles O'Brien said afterwards: "He won a charity race at Limerick and funnily enough it did his confidence the world of good. He just about got away with the ground there tonight."
STEWARDS REPORT
R.P. Downey, rider of Asian Wing trained by John James Feane, reported to the Stewards' Secretaries that the bit went through his mounts mouth and he hung right in running.
Additional reporting by Alan Magee