Cocktail Hour in front at Killarney© Photo Healy Racing
At the ninth time of asking Cocktail Hour got her head in front for Dermot Weld when taking the extended mile maiden for three-year-olds at Killarney.
The complexion of the race changed when Il Palazzo the 6/4 favourite for Aidan and Joseph O’Brien, was withdraw not under orders for refusing to load. This led to a Rule 4 of 40 cent in the euro to all bets.
As the remaining seven runners jumped from the stalls, it was Sister Slew who took them along with Cocktail Hour nestled in second.
Cocktail Hour (11/4) then moved into the lead at the furlong pole and was chased by Danseur De Feu (7/1), who never quite looked like reeling her in. There was a length and a half in it at the line.
Winning jockey Pat Smullen said: “It’s a relief to win a maiden with her. She has a nice pedigree. It was a bit of a false race as there was no pace and she was in front plenty soon enough. It was a bit of a help when the favourite didn’t go in.
“The track is in great nick and there’s no horse who wouldn’t go on that ground.” Burnt Sienna who was backed from 7/1 to 4/1 in the ring, thundered home down the outside under Connor King for third, a neck off the runner-up.
Successful trainer Dermot Weld has a 25 per cent strike-rate at Killarney over the past four years.
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
