Coen and McGuinness share first success

Clonmacash confirmed the promise of a couple of recent placed runs including when second here on Wednesday when taking the opening Book At DundalkStadium.com Claiming Race and in the process provided apprentice Sam Coen with his first winner for Ado McGuinness.

Available at 10/1 overnight and sent off at half those odds, the four-year-old was ridden to lead over a furlong out by Coen and kept on well inside the final furlong to hold off the challenge of Ferrari Desert by a neck. Half Nutz squeezed through between horses and kept on well just a head further back in third.

Coen said, "When he gets there, he doesn't do a whole lot. He kind of parks when he gets there.

"He was always getting there - when Keithen (Kennedy, Ferrari Desert) came, he went on another stride again. He hit the line hard in the end.

"He was (in a consistent vein of form) to be fair to him. Ado just told me 'just behind the leaders there and try and get a bit of cover and settle away'. He fancied him today.

"That's my second ride for Ado, so I can't thank him enough."

Clonmacash was the subject of a friendly claim by current connections while Half Nutz was claimed for €3,000 to be trained by Chris Timmons.

Quotes by Michael Graham