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Brigadier battles well to bring up doubles

Jockey Donagh O'Connor Jockey Donagh O'Connor
© Photo Healy Racing

Brigadier Kakuru edged a good duel with Suerte in the six furlong winners race at Dundalk, giving trainer Danny Murphy and jockey Donagh O’Connor doubles on the card.

O’Connor bounced out in front on the Camacho gelding and they were joined passing the two pole by Suerte.

The 4/5 favourite battled gamely in the closing stages to secure a head success.

It was a second course win for Brigadier Kakuru, who had also landed a nursery over course and distance last month.

O'Connor said: "Danny just said to go ahead and do your own thing in front.

"When the horse came to his girth, he went on again and just had a little blow 50 yards out, and I thought the line just came in time for him.

"He's a nice horse going forward, he's a big horse. He loved the surface.

"He has a big, long stride and I'd day he would sicken horses in behind him. He's learning the whole time.

"I knew in my head I was going a stride quicker than I wanted to be, but I suppose three or four in behind him didn't have his ability.

"I was very keen on him, I loved his attitude. Even throughout the race, he covers loads of ground.

"For a sprinter, he doesn't have that many runs under his belt. I wouldn't be afraid to drop him back to five (furlongs).

"Here, you don't tend to get racing until you turn in whereas on those straight tracks lads see the lollipop three out and they are attacking. You have no time to really fill your horse up. I got a bit of a breather into him from the '4' to the '3' (poles) and then went on again."

Murphy had sent out Tribal Moon to win earlier on the card while O’Connor had won the mile handicap, for Ross O’Sullivan, on Lost President

(Quotes by Michael Graham)

About Gary Carson
Gary started out as a trainee/assistant journalist with the Sporting Life newspaper and has worked in the racing industry for over 25 years. He has been with the Press Association since 2013 and won the Irish Field Nap Table in 2016. He enjoys working with horses and trained his own horse, Mamaslittlestar, to win a point-to-point in 2019.