Francis Meynell and Leigh Roche © Photo Healy Racing
Francis Meynell has Michael O’Callaghan dreaming of bigger targets ahead after making a successful debut in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden at Navan.
This looked a decent five-furlong event with a few boasting strong placed form and the son of Blue Point made all under Leigh Roche.
The 8/1 shot kept on strongly inside the final furlong to score by three-quarters of a length with Emerald Banner edging out the odds-on Tourist for the runner-up spot.
O'Callaghan said, "He's a horse I've taken my time with. He's quite enthusiastic at home so we went back to basics with him and we've slowly let him get himself ready for this.
“He's going to improve plenty. It's more so his mind that made him look so professional today but I think he'll improve a lot from what he's done at home.
“It looked like a good race on paper beforehand, with the form of Ger's and a few others, so for him to go and do that first time out and Leigh said he thought that he was only in second gear.
“I thought if he was able to win his maiden today and he looked nice that I might pitch him into something like the Flying Childers.
“He's quick, he'd get six furlongs I'd say, but he has a lot of speed and there is no point trying to tame it.
“I'm not trying to talk him up but I honestly don't know where the bottom of him is.”
Quotes by Gary Carson
