Gegenpressing enjoys being back in Sligo

Gegenpressing (9/2) defied stall 16 to grab his second Sligo success in the 47-65 sprint handicap. No Speed Limit adopted his customary front-running tactics, but was vulnerable in the straight. It was Gegenpressing who picked up the chase and swept by on the run to the final furlong.

He soon took a couple of lengths out of the field inside the furlong pole and that was the winning of the race as he fended off fast-finishing Sadiqaa (12/1) by a head. Eruption attracted support from 25/1 to 14/1 and her backers drew an each-way dividend as she came home in third.

Gegenpressing clearly enjoys 5f 160y in Sligo as he also obliged over that trip back in August 2022. His other two career successes came in Limerick and Down Royal.

Patrick Harty said: "An overdue win probably! There's a few lads that were involved with him, they still are, but I didn't want to be taking money off them when he wasn't performing and we said we'd try and figure him out.

"But I did tell them, when he got his head in front, he'll win his next four! He's absolutely thrown in compared to his old mark.

"He loves these summer tracks and all four of his wins have come right-handed. I thought he got there too soon but he held on and, with a bit of luck, he might pick up another one or two off the marks he'll be off.

"The hustle and bustle around here suits him and you can trick him along. It's a pity there aren't more opportunities for him here, but we'll look at similar tracks. They didn't go as fast as I was hoping, but in general if they go fast and there's a pace collapse, it suits him down to the ground."

Additional reporting by Mark Nunan