Bopedro and Kevin Manning© Photo Healy Racing
Dual-Champion Trainer Jim Bolger sent out his first runners to Cork's new seven-furlongs straight track today and was rewarded with a treble supplied by stable jockey Kevin Manning, as the pair achieved the feat in the Barry's Tea Supporting Marymount Hospice Handicap with Bopedro
Bopedro was today making a winning debut in Ireland as the French-import caused a 25/1 upset when beating Current Option by two and a half lengths. Bopedro's win also provided his prominent Chinese owner Zhang Yeusheng with a first winner in his recent link-up with Ireland's Champion Trainer of 1991 and 1992.
Bolger and Manning began today's card by sending out Arranmore to win the opener before Flight Risk won the Listed third-race and following Bopedro's success, travelling head man Ger Flynn later revealed “we had no runners on the straight-seven (furlongs) track the last day and today is our first day having runners so we have some strike-rate!
“In fairness the boss was right because when he saw it, he said we'll have plenty success on that straight-seven and he has been proved right.”
Regarding Bopedro and the yard's first success for prominent owner Zhang Yuesheng, Flynn added “we were saying before the race we couldn't believe his price at 40/1 as he had good form in France around Fontainebleau and Vichy which are only a drop down from Parisienne tracks and are no backward tracks.
“We haven't had the horse well and Kevin said he handled the track and ground well. He is a fine big horse who is very easy to deal with and that is our first winner for Mr Zhang. We've had a couple of runners and have hit the cross-bar with one or two and have half a dozen horses in training for him.
“It's onwards and upwards for him now and he is uncomplicated.”
