Spanish Tenor hits high notes at Listowel

Spanish Tenor was another outsider to pop up in Listowel this afternoon as he obliged at 16/1 in the mile handicap.

Trainer Ado McGuinness also saddled Saltonstall and Casanova up towards the top of the handicap while Spanish Tenor effectively raced off bottom-weight with Something Nice and Just An Hour both ruled out.

Cian MacRedmond got Spanish Tenor away well from stall 11 to pick up an early lead and the pair were two lengths clear halfway.

The field couldn't get to grips with Spanish Tenor who boxed on well in the final furlong to prevail by a reduced margin of a length at the line. Laughifuwant (8/1) wasn't able to reel in the winner in second and was half a length clear of Fast Tara (9/1).

McGuinness said: "We were going to run him in a claimer (in August), but he is such a great horse and we've had great fun with him. We bought him from a claimer and Cian has now won four times on him now and he has been a brilliant horse.

"He got an easy lead as no one took him on, he loves a bit of juice in the ground, this is a frontrunners track. We keep him sweet by doing a couple of days at the beach and I don't think he has had a gallop since the last day he ran - these horses have the ability to do it, but just need to be sweet.

"Every year he pays his way and will have a break at the end of the turf season."

Additional reporting by Tom Weekes