Wicklow Lad gives Floods a boost Francis Flood, back in the number one berth at Cork last Sunday after a lean spell, got a small boost after losing Slievecorragh in the opener at Thurles when the lightly-weighted Wicklow Lad (12s into 9s) ran out a convincing winner of the Martinstown Opportunity Handicap Chase under Keith Donoghue. This grey son of Silver Patriarch (another of his offspring Thelobstercatcher bolted up in similar conditions at Chepstow yesterday) threw a big bold leap at the last to seal a seventeen length victory over Tawrific Laois. Wicklow Lad, twice a winner over hurdles when with Philip Rothwell had fallen on two of his three starts in handicap chases and not surprisingly confidence wasn't high in the Flood camp. Son of the winning trainer, Fran said: "We'd given up on him and we were giving one last throw of the dice here. He'd shown nothing lately. He is in again at Limerick on Monday. We'll see how he is, he may run there. "It is a small bit of compensation for the loss of Slievecorragh – that was a fluke accident."
