Summer Isles comes home a comfortable winner under Danny Grant© Photo Healy Racing
Summer Isles sprang a 12/1 surprise as she took the Lougher Stable Handicap under Danny Grant for Pat Flynn.
Formerly trained in the UK, initially by Ed Dunlop and then Ed Vaughan, the three-year-old daughter of Exceed And Excel was having her fifth start for Flynn this evening.
Running over five furlongs on good ground for the first time, she broke away smartly from the stalls, and made all from there, going clear from over a furlong out, keeping on strongly from there to score easily by three lengths. Fleet Captain finished back in second under Ronan Whelan for Jane Foley at 9/2, while the 7/2 favourite, Catwilldo kept on to take third, two lengths back under Connor King for Garvan Donnelly. Sujet Bellagio was the gamble of the race, and having being available at 14/1 in a place this morning, he opened on-course at just 13/2 before going off a 4/1 chance.
He travelled well in the early part of the race before fading in the straight, finishing a disappointing sixth under Rory Cleary for Damian English.
Danny Grant said afterwards: "We ran her in Down Royal over seven the same way but she just didn’t get home.
"I told Pat that she had too much speed. We won that from the gate. I looked round and she was three lengths clear."
Additional reporting by Michael Graham
