Camlann and Rachael Blackmore head for victory© Photo Healy Racing
The Mee family and John 'Shark' Hanlon completed a quick Leopardstown double when Camlann turned out quickly after a Navan second placing yesterday to land the Coral.ie Handicap Hurdle under Rachael Blackmore.
Danny Mullins rode the opening Mee/Hanlon winner, Hidden Cyclone but Blackmore took over from Davy Russell on Camlann with his low-weight after his agonising defeat at Proudstown Park yesterday.
Back to two miles from the two and a half of Saturday's assignment, 9/4 favourite Camlann (slight mistake two out) travelled well, led before the last and then fended off Joshua Lane and Grand Partner by a length and three parts and three parts of a length.
Hanlon was an absentee, attending the point-to-point at Lemonfield where he took the opening four-year-old mares maiden with the Richie Harding-ridden Posh Trish.
The Leopardstown brace came in at odds of over 11/1 and the season's leading conditional rider (double at Navan yesterday) stated: "He wouldn't have run today if Shark didn't think he could handle it. He's a horse that takes his work, and we gave him a little trot down the road this morning and he was fresh so there was no reason why he shouldn't run.
"It felt like we went a good gallop, and it was a fantastic performance by the horse."
(AM & EM)
