Aidan O'Brien's maintained his fine Irish strike-rate with Silk And Scarlet's win in the Listed Silver Flash Stakes at Leopardstown today while jockey Jamie Spencer was recording his 43rd win of the Flat season.
O'Brien later reported 'she is a lovely filly while lots of class. It is unusual for a Saddler's Wells filly to win over six furlongs but we now have lots of options for her. The Group 2 Debutante Stakes at The Curragh is a possibility.'
Noel Meade's Dashing Home won the Vodafone World Handicap (Premier Handicap) and is now a possibility for the Galway Hurdle. Meade reported 'he was slowly away at The Curragh recently and couldn't handle the fast ground.'
Michael Grassick's Boccassio landed a gamble (6/1 - 9/4) in the mile handicap while Dermot Weld's Fandango Dancer was a game winner of the mile maiden.
Pat Hughes is a familiar face in winners' enclosures and the Co Carlow trainer had a winner at both Irish meetings today, the first, Cache Creek at Leopardstown while he himself saddled Blue Away to win the featured Murphy's Handicap Hurdle at Killarney.
Regarding Cache Creek's win in the Vodafone Live Race, Hughes stated 'she is in foal to Barathea and will run until the end of August. She may go for the Meld Stakes or else the Royal Whip Stakes.'
A Killarney, Hughes mentioned that Blue Away 'may bypass the Galway Hurdle and go for a lower class hurdle or else a Flat handicap.'
There are few more popular jockeys in the weigh room than Ken Whelan and he partnered Joe Crowley's In The Dip to win the opening 2m6f beginners' chase while Jinx Johnson was the first success for trainer Myles Sutherland in the Niall Brosnan & Co Solicitors Handicap.
Ger Kennedy's La Shalak has proven a credit to her connections and the mare, in-foal to Captain Rio, recorded her sixth career win in the Killarney Park Hotel Handicap. The list of people Kennedy mentioned deserving of credit for the win included jockey Billy Lee, who 'gave the horse a copybook ride', and Willie Slattery who does a lot of the hard work with the horse at home.
Croquette Rouge showed vast improvement from her debut run at Clonmel to score an effortless win in the 2m1f maiden while The Gallantjohnjoe landed the handicap chase for Mouse Morris and Barry Geraghty.
Amateur rider Sinead O'Keeffe steered 25/1 newcomer Minnie Turbo (67/1 on the Tote) to win the concluding Ladies' Rider Bumper.
