Apologise forges on© Photo Healy Racing
Apologise (4/1 joint favourite) defied 10st2lb on handicap debut for the Slatterys in the Ross Road Handicap (Division 1) at Killarney.
The son of Fascinating Rock was in trip to a mile and three furlongs and raced in third behind pacesetting Destivelle and Breakintheclouds who raced with the choke out.
He took closer order in second with half a mile to race and wept through past a hard-ridden Destivelle in the final quarter of a mile.
The new leader found plenty in the closing stages to repel a staying-on Bayou Belle (8/1) by a length and a quarter. Vintage Gold (11/1) was another length and a half back in third.
Trainer Andrew Slattery said: "That is (jockey, son) Andrew's first winner in those colours. My father worked for Jamie Spencer's dad George all his life, rode winners on Winning Fair, who won the 1963 Champion Hurdle in them, so when I was looking for colours for my wife Mary, I got those.
"Another horse, Springtime Lad, won a Munster National for my father in those colours so this win is nice to get."
"We are hoping he (Apologise) will make a nice hurdle horse as he goes on soft. We haven't schooled him as we were hoping to get that win out of the way and going up in trip was a big help. We liked him early on, but he was as green as grass in three maidens."
He added: "We are busy all the time but I only have six or seven jumpers for the winter and have 15 point to pointers. Hopefully, I'll have another Faugheen, but I didn't know I had him until we went to a schooling race in Thurles in April and he won three weeks later!"
Additional reporting by Tom Weekes
