Brendan Brackan strides on in Cork© Photo Healy Racing
< Brendan Brackan showed plenty of determination to make every yard of the running in the Listed corkracecourse.ie Navigation Stakes at Cork.
The 3-1 chance had a healthy advantage turning for home under Gary Carroll, and though Akira appeared to be travelling well entering the final two furlongs, he could not get close to Ger Lyons' winner, who ran on strongly to score by a length and a quarter.< Leading Actress ran out a gutsy winner of the Ticket Sales Online Handicap.
Willie McCreery's 10-1 chance was held up in the early stages under Billy Lee, but came with a challenge over a furlong out and skipped away, leaving the fast finishing In Salutem half a length behind.
Lee made it a double on the day when guiding Bunk Off Early to victory in the Christmas Party Package Maiden.
Never far off the pace on the Andrew Oliver-trained 11-2 chance, Lee kicked for home at the end of the back straight and never looked back, recording a two and a quarter-length win over Rainfall Radar
Newcomers dominated the finish of the Coolmore Most Improved Maiden, with Jim Bolger's Moonlight Magic coming out on top.
The 4-6 favourite looked to have secured a cosy success when overtaking Murmuration and building up a clear lead inside the final furlong, but Embiran found top gear close home and flew home, finishing just a neck down at the line.
Jim Gorman's Verbosity landed the spoils in the Annual Ticket 2016 Nursery Handicap.
Slotted in just behind the leaders by Ronan Whelan, the 7-1 chance travelled strongly and after hitting the front over two furlongs out, he ran on well to beat Dewdrop by four lengths.
Brian Nolan's Well Done Me (16-1) showed a nice turn of foot to win a shade cosily under Daniel Redmond in the Follow Us On Twitter Apprentice Handicap, while the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Handicap went to the Michael Halford-trained Cailin Mor (11-4 favourite) under Sean Corby.
