Gray works overtime to gets Scots home

There was a bit of word about for Scots Gaelic at Clonmel last time when he had to settle for fourth behind Primroseandblue. However, nine days on it was an altogether different story and Stephen Gray was rewarded for his effort in the plate (at work on the chestnut from some way out) when Scots Gaelic scored pretty convincingly in the Curracloe Maiden Hurdle at Wexford.

An ambitious punt on Cat's On Broadway (40s this morning into 10s), a six time scorer on the level in Italy, wasn't that far off the mark, but that ten-year-old mare and all the rest were fighting a losing battle once Scots Gaelic set sail for home at the last (usually two out, final hurdle isn't in use today owing to ground conditions). Coral Creek tried her case in the straight but she was never going to get there and eventually went down by three and a half lengths to Scots Gaelic.

Bred by his owner, Alan MacAlister, Scots Gaelic is trained by Pat Flynn who explained: "Alan is from Perth in Australia and I was out there lately. I paid himself and his wife a visit and we also took in the Melbourne Cup.

"This is a lovely horse but he's a bit of a 'divil.' We should have put wings (cheek-pieces) on him today really. He'll go now for a winners of one or a handicap. Thank God he's won here anyway."

Scots Gaelic is a dual winner on the level, at Tramore and Killarney, and he was justifying favouritism here at odds of 100/30. (DM & EM)