Prairie Dancer and Shane Crosse© Photo Healy Racing
Course and distance winner Prairie Dancer (5/4) returned to Roscommon after a commendable Ulster Derby fifth placing to justify favouritism in the Athlone Handicap.
Fresh off their Group One success at the Curragh on Sunday with Thundering Nights, Joseph O’Brien and Shane Crosse combined for another win here.
The triumphant top-weight made all, and ridden under two furlongs out the three-year-old son of Territories stayed on well in the final furlong to account for Himalayan Beauty by a length and three parts.
“I've made the running all day so I might just keep doing it!” commented Crosse.
“This lad is improving the whole time, he likes this track, and the front-running helps him a lot. Hopefully he can keep going.
“Good ground or slow ground doesn't really matter to him. This could be his trip and he'll get further.
“We were drawn a bit wide the last day and I had to ride him from behind. This was more his cup of tea, quick ground and doing it his own way.”
The Stewards enquired into possible interference inside the final one hundred yards involving Himalayan Beauty, ridden by T.P. Madden, placed second and Ebasari ridden by R.P. Whelan, placed third, where it appeared that both horses brushed off each other. Evidence was heard from the riders concerned. In his evidence, R.P. Whelan stated that he did not feel anything that had any bearing on his final placing. T.P. Madden stated that his mount brushed against Ebasari when tiring close to the finish. Having viewed the recording of the race and considered the evidence, the Stewards made no alteration to the Judges placings and took no further action.
The Stewards interviewed T.P. Madden, rider of Himalayan Beauty, concerning his use of the whip in the latter stages of this race. Evidence was heard from the rider concerned. In his evidence, T.P. Madden accepted that he was in breach of the whip guidelines. Having viewed a recording of the race and considered the evidence the Stewards were of the opinion that T.P. Madden was in breach of R10(3)(g) by using his whip with excessive frequency. Having taken his clean previous record into consideration, the Stewards cautioned T.P. Madden on this occasion.
(GC & EM)
