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Gary Carson

Gary Carson

Scatter fends off hotpot Sergei in opener

Wed 11th Apr 2018, 18:36

Skitter Scatter and Ronan Whelan (centre) beat Sergei Prokofiev (left) and The Irish Rover (right) Skitter Scatter and Ronan Whelan (centre) beat Sergei Prokofiev (left) and The Irish Rover (right)
© Photo Healy Racing

The Patrick Prendergast-trained Skitter Scatter made her experience pay when running out a game winner of the opening two-year-old maiden at Dundalk this evening.

Ballydoyle newcomer Sergei Prokofiev was sent to post a strongly supported 4/9 favourite for the five-furlong contest and tracked the front-running Skitter Scatter throughout.

He loomed ominously two furlongs from home but when asked for an effort inside the final furlong ran around slightly.

5/1 shot Skitter Scatter kept her head down under pressure and held the hotpot at bay to record a short-head success under Ronan Whelan.

The winner had finished third behind Jungle Jane on her racecourse debut here in late March.

“You can’t beat a run, although when I saw the race and what we were taking on I did consider not running her,`' said Prendergast.

“Her groom Paata (Khvedelidze) who rides her everyday said there is so much fight in her and she is a stakes filly so take a chance. Her owner felt the same way.

“She is the same at home and just wants to get her head in front. She wants six furlongs really but I can’t run her on the turf at the moment as she makes no fist of soft ground.

“She’ll go for the six-furlong fillies (Juvenile Sprint) Listed race at Naas (on May 20th). She’s pure honest and wants to win.”

(Quotes by Alan Magee)

About Gary Carson
Gary started out as a trainee/assistant journalist with the Sporting Life newspaper and has worked in the racing industry for over 25 years. He has been with the Press Association since 2013 and won the Irish Field Nap Table in 2016. He enjoys working with horses and trained his own horse, Mamaslittlestar, to win a point-to-point in 2019.