Senado Square keeps ball rolling for new syndicate

Trainer Andy Slattery's assessment of Senado Square (100/30) is proving to be correct as he effortlessly landed Dundalk's Gateway Hotel Dundalk Race & Stay Handicap today, and thus appears far better than his 58 rating.

Successful on heavy ground in March before losing his confidence from stalls, Senado Square ended an eight-race losing spell from a rating of just 45 a fortnight ago, with Slattery reporting that the gelding “works like a 90-rated horse.”

Today the three-year-old made all, travelled well and bolted in, effortlessly beating runner-up Theriverrunsdeep

Slattery said "he goes into the starting stalls late which is a big help and while the plan wasn't to make the running, he jumped and took it. Cian (Horgan, winning jockey) probably won too far but it wasn't the plan to make the running and there was no pace so he left him use his pace.”

He added “last year he was working with horses rated 90 up the Curragh and destroying them. He is a very big horse so maybe it was weakness and he might only be coming to himself. He is shoving 16.2hh and is a very big strong powerful horse.

“The Punchestown Friends Syndicate only have him a month and have won twice with him so they're lucky. The lads are builders who my brother Brian met at Punchestown and they have three horses with us.

“They are getting seriously into it, are a lovely bunch of lads and have a staff party tonight but hopefully he'll win again next Wednesday when they're here.”

Regarding seventh-placed stablemate My Girl Sioux he added: "Declan (McDonogh, jockey) said she lost it at the gates, he said he definitely would have been second.

"There is a race in her off her mark, but she makes her own hard luck."

Quotes from Michael Graham