Mark Nunan
Pride Of Pimlico scores for Duke & Cleary
Pride Of Pimlico and Rory Cleary
© Photo Healy Racing
There was money around this morning (20s into 9/1) for previous course and distance winner Pride Of Pimlico in the Download The Bar One Racing App Handicap (Div I) and the support was duly rewarded with a length and a quarter victory at a starting price of 8/1.
There was a good gallop set by eventual third Duquesa Beach (5/1) and Rory Cleary bided his time before making headway on the Casamento gelding from two furlongs out.
Eloy D’Amerval (7/1) had travelled well before hitting the front over a furlong out, but the winner got past him in the final furlong and stayed on well to gain a third career victory. Duquesa Beach ended up another three quarters of a length back in third.
Winning trainer Brendan Duke said: "All four runs here have been excellent. Listowel (finished eleventh) was a disaster but seven is not his trip, he wants a mile. I don’t think he was a hundred per cent happy with the track in Gowran and I gave him a bit of a break.
“He’s been working really well but I was worried about the draw (in stall 13). I don’t know where the money came from - it wasn’t any of ours. He got a good ride and a bit of luck in running which you need.
“He’ll come back here and will be a horse to watch when he goes jumping through the winter.”
Quotes from Alan Magee