Linda Barrett opens her season with a victory

She was disappointing the first day and I don’t think the trip was the problem that day — nothing really happened. It was probably the first time out blues. Hopefully she will step up off that and we can find a winners’ race or a three-year-old handicap. She handled the ground and had been working okay on it in the spring. You wouldn’t think it as she is not the biggest filly in the world. She should get six (furlongs) eventually. She wasn’t killing herself the last 100 yards as she was flicking her ears.

Hogan's initiative pays off with Conversant

Tashkhan rewards strong market support

He’s a hardy bloke and has definitely improved for getting gelded. Ross was rowing away on him for ages and there is just no bottom to him. He’ll probably improve for another step up in trip. The ground was a help as well. Born To Sea seems to be getting a few nice jumps horses and down the line I’d imagine this fella should make into a nice three-year-old hurdler. We’ll try and find another three-year-old handicap for his next run - stick to his own bracket and see where that takes us.

Team Of Firsts puts it all together

We’re absolutely thrilled with that. He has a big frame and just needed to fill into it from last year. Sometimes when you get beat in maidens as a two-year-old it’s grand because you have something to aim at early doors here. He’s a Zoffany that goes on that ground. We are going to be taking baby steps with him and we would have been disappointed if he wasn’t fighting it out at the finish even though it wasn’t a gimme with an 87-rated horse in the race. We liked the way he did. Colin (Keane) said he took a big blow turning into the straight and he took a blow pulling up so he will improve for it. No horse needs it that soft but he is a Zoffany that you wouldn’t be afraid to go on it. He’s a good mover for the size of him. He wouldn’t be running on proper fast ground but he doesn’t need it that soft.

Change of strategy reaps dividends with Pepperoni Pete

We’ve done it wrong for the last two years with this lad — the wrong ground and the wrong distance. We dropped him back to a mile on heavy ground and he’s absolutely loved it. Fair play to his owners who have nursed him back from a bad fall in Gowran last year. He actually broke two vertebrae in his neck and has taken a long time to get back. They had him back in pre-training and he seemed to be very happy when he got back riding so they said we’ll run him on the Flat. It nearly brings a tear to my eye when you see a horse coming back from injury like that. It shows how much he loves racing. It’s great for him and great for the Blessings who own him. He definitely came on from his run in Dundalk. I’d say all our horses will improve for a run and it’s a long old season.

Earlswood makes winning start for Murtagh

He’s a nice horse going forward and should improve from the run today. He’s crying out for a mile and a quarter and he should stay a mile and a half. Mr Oxx had him entered in the Derby. He’s a long way to go to get there but maidens at this time of the year are hard to win and what I loved about him today was his temperament. He came up the hill really well. Ben said he handled the ground well but I think he’d like better ground as well.

Reserve All Class lands huge touch in Navan

My horses were under a cloud over the winter and I’m not really sure what was going on. They have been running well lately and this mare had been working way better than she was over the winter. The last few weeks she was staying with Declaration Of War and I fancied her today because of it. It’s great to get another winner for my uncle ((Paul Dunne). She’s a very difficult filly and had to come today with a companion as she starts fretting. We’ve learned how to manage her. She handles the ground and stayed the trip well. I only knew at 9 this morning that we were going to get a run. I said a prayer to get in and thankfully she did!

Duchess Ravenwaves another for Cromwell