Pearl Of Australia (nearest) © Photo Healy Racing
Pearl Of Australia made all the running in the Shanagher Hearing Maiden to give Noel Meade a near 450/1 treble on the evening after earlier wins for Zero Fighter and Port Louis
Sent off 12/1 after touching 20s before the off, the 79-rated colt was stepping up in trip and Leigh Roche didn't go overly quick in front as Astar gave chase throughout. That filly threw down a sustained challenge in the straight and both Ethical Diamond and Gimmie Shelter briefly looked threatening towards the centre of the track but Pearl Of Australia kept going resolutely to fend off all rivals.
Half a length was the margin of victory over Astar.
“Dylan (Browne McMonagle) rode him in Gowran last time, he took him back and he said he made a mistake that he should have let him roll along,” said Meade.
“That was over a mile and I just started thinking that maybe we had got it all wrong with him.
“It was a super well-judged ride by Leigh.
“I thought he was a pretty decent horse. When we went to Listowel last year I thought he'd win and Dermot (Weld) won it with Tiverton and apparently Aidan (O'Brien) fancied the one he had in it (runner-up Boy Scout).
“Hopefully it's onwards and upwards now. He's by Australia but he's related to a good miler and that's what had sort of caught me out a bit with him. I'd say he'd even go a mile-and-a-half.”
Quotes from Gary Carson
