Going - Soft (Soft to Heavy in Places). Raining
Jackpot Pool - 4,689.75 Not Won. Carried forward to Curragh on Saturday 12th May. Placepot Pool - 20,277.58 Dividend - 836.40 Winning Units - 16.97. Pick Six Pool - 33,829.98 Not Won. Carried forward to Curragh on Saturday 12th May. Days Aggregate - 115,040.00 (8 races). Last Year 224,176.00 (7 races).
Dandys Ocean takes the opener at the Curragh
It’s great to get a winner for Mr Zhang and she’s a nice filly. Colm said she would like better ground but she was good. It’s not ideal conditions but she could do no more than go and win. She jumped well, she travelled well and when he asked her she picked up well. She ran in the barrier trial (at Dundalk) last Sunday so it’s a good advertisement for it.
O'Callaghan on the mark with Recon Mission
Decisive Action one for the bookies at 20/1
He stayed at it all the way to the line, bit green when he hit the front. He's a nice horse I think. He was always working like a stayer at home. I'm delighted with him now. I'd say there is more improvement when we step him up in trip. He can go on any sort of ground as well. We always thought he was a nice horse but he’s bred for a mile and a half. His dam is a half-sister to Gatewood and that is probably where he will end up eventually. He’s lucky the weather is so bad as I was going to geld him and let him off for a while. I’ll probably go for the Final of the Series and might still geld him and let him off for a while in the summer. He works well and the further he goes the better he’ll get. My brother Willie bought him in Ascot for 8,000 so he’s a bit of value. That’s only the second two-year-old I’ve run this year and both of them have won. He wouldn’t be as fast as the other lad (Offline, won at Dundalk) but he’ll be a fair horse over a mile. He’s a good tough horse and stays at it well. He was green when Ben asked him and I suppose the heavy ground as well but he won by a length going away.
O'Donoghue brings up 125/1 brace
He felt very genuine and very forward going, tough and hardy. Yeah definitely (he will appreciate going up in trip). He got into a good rhythm to halfway but he's a horse that doesn't do anything very quickly so when i just asked him to go up through the gears slowly then he really got on top in the last furlong. Carol (Roper, owner) has had horses with us for a long time and has been a great patron of ours so I’m delighted to win a race for her and she bred him as well. They are a family that have done well for us over the years but they nearly all needed to be four before they won. He was only beaten six lengths in Navan and just got a bit tired. He’s laid-back and has a great attitude. They are all a sprinting family so six will be his trip with an ease in the ground. We’ll see what Garry (O’Gorman, handicapper) does with him now.
Touch landed with Alans Pride in Curragh
I'm not racing but that fella felt great coming up to this. The ground was a concern as I felt he might do too much. Massively pleased for Charlie Maguire and Alan Devine, great friends of mine and very grateful to Gary for riding him. I really wanted Gary for him and it all worked out.
Hand On Heart now two from two
She’s not the best work horse at home but if she keeps doing it on the track it doesn’t really matter. She’s won two races now nicely and we’ll probably go for something like the Victor McCalmont (at Gowran Park). I didn’t know what to expect coming here but it’s worked out.
Red-hot O'Brien seals double through Maths Prize
Typical I'm not there! So pleased for Frank Lynch and Mick Hartnett and their better halves Maria and Phil. They supported me by sending me this fella and Alcatraz and I'm so grateful to them both. They're terrific enthusiasts and they have a lovely horse going forward. Billy kept it simple and while I was uncertain about the ground he encouraged me to run. He was right.
Wisdom Mind sheds her maiden tag