Keane collects with Ragmans Corner
Ragmans Corner and Eoin Finnegan
© Photo Healy Racing
Gerry Keane bagged a Royal Ascot success in 2024 and today the trainer registered his first win this year, with Ragmans Corner (11/4jf) in Punchestown’s John Thomas McNamara Series (Q.R.) Handicap Hurdle.
Keane, father of champion Flat jockey Colin Keane, sent out Crystal Black to land Ascot’s Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes last June and today Ragmans Corner, under Eoin Finegan, skipped clear of his rivals in the home straight to score eased down by a length from Largy Belter.
Keane commented “he’s a grand little horse and is only learning how to race now really. He used to run on his nerves a lot and we’ll probably mix it with the Flat now if we can. We might give him a shot in Dundalk.
“He’s going to get a hike for that and whether he’s good enough to go to the next level, I don’t know. It was a fairly ordinary race, and it fell apart. The ground was tacky, and we didn’t know if he would go on it or not.
“He’s a well-bred horse and is going the right way. He has a bit of scope and may even jump a fence on spring ground.”
Quotes from Alan Magee