Keane earns praise for winning ride on Phoenix Open

A beaten favourite in handicap company last time, Phoenix Open came good at the fifth attempt to get off the mark in the McSweeney Sports Surfaces — Equestrian Walkways Maiden at Limerick. Myth Creation tried to get it done from the front in this mile heat, and she shook them all off bar the Mark Breen owned and bred Phoenix Open.

Colin Keane got the Ger Lyons-trained victor up close home to score by half a length with a length and three parts back to Made My Day in third.

"The owner lives in America. He flew in last week and was here for the Irish Derby weekend. Unfortunately we didn't get a win for him but we're not geniuses and these things happen," reflected Lyons' brother Shane.

"The horse is very immature and the penny is only dropping with him.

"Colin was brilliant as in the last half-furlong his head was high through greenness.

"He put his stick down and didn't use it. He'll come on bundles from it,

"He loves that ground and he'll get a mile and a quarter. We'll have plenty of fun with him and he'll only improve with age."

O.J. Orr, rider of Proxy (GB), trained by D. K. Weld, reported to the Stewards' Secretaries that his mount was slowly away from the stalls.

(TW & EM)