Tashkhan rewards strong market support On a day of firsts Tashkhan rallied powerfully to win the mile and a quarter handicap in Navan to land a gamble. This was his first run on grass having finished unplaced in three outings on the Polytrack in Dundalk and he stepped up in trip for it. In addition, he had been gelded since his last run in December and was dipping his toes into handicap company for the first time. The son of Born To Sea raced prominently under Ross Coakley and led after a furlong. He came wide into the straight and was pushed along three furlongs from home. The 9/2 chance was there to be shot at by his rivals approaching the final furlong and was soon headed by Sassified. However, he really picked up the chase in the final furlong and raced past Sassified in the final 150 yards before drawing three and three quarter lengths clear at the winning post. He was available at 22/1 this morning before the support arrived and it continued up to the off. Runner-up Sassified was a 13/2 shot and finished in front of Hair Of Gold (15/2) and Helvic Princess (11/1). Trainer Emmet Mullins said: “He’s a hardy bloke and has definitely improved for getting gelded. Ross was rowing away on him for ages and there is just no bottom to him. He’ll probably improve for another step up in trip. “The ground was a help as well. Born To Sea seems to be getting a few nice jumps horses and down the line I’d imagine this fella should make into a nice three-year-old hurdler. “We’ll try and find another three-year-old handicap for his next run - stick to his own bracket and see where that takes us.” Additional reporting by Alan Magee
