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- Label scores on debut for Harrington
Donal Murphy
Label scores on debut for Harrington
Red Label (red cap) stays on best to beat Taj Mahal (centre) and Brutal
© Photo Healy Racing
Red Label overturned the odds-on favourite Taj Mahal in the Gowran Park Festival Of Speed Race, providing his trainer Jessica Harrington with yet another success.
Previous trained in the UK by Luca Cumani, the son of Dubawi was making his debut for Harrington this afternoon.
Successful on his last start at Leicester in October, the bay victor was sent off at 4/1 today, with Taj Mahal the 4/7 market leader.
Settled in third by Colm O’Donoghue, he travelled best with two furlongs to race. He was ridden from the furlong pole, and stayed on strongly in the closing stages, getting up to prevail by a neck.
The aforementioned favourite had to settle for second under Seamie Heffernan for Aidan O’Brien, while Brutal was a length and a half back in third
Harrington said afterwards: "I'm delighted with him. I was worried about the ground. I've only had him a month, and I'm just learning about him.
"He is a nice horse and we will see where we go from here. I have nothing in mind for him. He has only had two runs and he was moving up in class. I was happy when the ground was good, but the more it rained I was really beginning to wonder."