Officer sends favourite backers home happy

Gigginstown House Stud looked to hold a strong hand for the concluding Down Royal INH Flat Race and with their Fill Your Hands having to miss his engagement owing to a stone bruise it was left to the County Westmeath outfit's other entrant Officer Cadet to get the job done in the hands of Nina Carberry.

The Gordon Elliott-trained well-backed 13/8 favourite led two furlongs out and stayed on well in the final furlong to comfortably beat Ballintotty Boy by three and three parts of a length.

"He's a lovely big horse for next year and he has had a few niggly problems. He's a big three mile chaser and we'll let him off now," said Elliott.

When asked about his recent run without a winner Elliott reflected: "We haven't had a winner for 10 days, and that's bad! We've had plenty of seconds and thirds. The horses aren't running badly."

"Tiger Roll just ran flat (in the big four-year-old hurdle at Punchestown on Saturday)." (MG & EM)