Lack of sleep not stopping McCann saddling winners

Anthony McCann enjoyed a winner in Wolverhampton yesterday and repeated the feat when Familiar Dreams took the honours in the mares' bumper at Cork.

She was well backed from 11/4 to 13/8 and disputed the lead before going on after six furlongs. She travelled well for Aine O'Connor and kept up the gallop in the final furlong to see it out by two lengths.

Easy-to-back Knockarina (10/3) chased her home and was five lengths clear of Cathedral Rocks (5/1).

McCann said: "Myself and Aine walked the track and decided to ride her like the best horse in the race. It wasn't ideal going down the inner on the chopped up ground, but we had the advantage of having the inside.

"We always thought a lot of her and I put a line through her run the last day as I don't know what happened her, so gave her a break to freshen her up. 

"It might be too late in the season to go hurdling now, so maybe we'll go for another Listed mares' bumper."

He added: "A big thanks to all the lads in the yard as I've been gone since Wednesday evening, as we ran horses at Newcastle on Thursday. I had a winner at Wolverhampton on Friday, left last night at 9pm, got to the ferry at 3am and arrived into our yard at 7.45am this morning.

"The horse lorry had earlier left for Cork at 5am, so I followed on down in the car although it was touch and go as a water pipe burst in the lorry on the way down!

"It is four and a half hours and I haven't got to the bed yet."

Familiar Dreams was runner-up in a Listed bumper at Limerick in March.

Circles won a Class 5 handicap in Wolverhampton for McCann yesterday evening.

Additional reporting by Tom Weekes