Going - Heavy. Overcast
Jackpot Pool - 5,000.00 Dividend - 3,500.00 Winning Units - 1. Placepot Pool - 20,604.10 Dividend - 306.80 Winning Units - 47. Pick Six Pool - 26,573.75 Days Aggregate - 99,395.00 Last Year
Chatham lands tidy gamble in the opener
He is a big powerful horse and the two miles and the heavy suited him. He'll make a three miler in time but he definitely didn't stay it the last time he ran. The two (miles) in the heavy ground suited him today. He's big and lairy and is a gangly horse but it'll be three or four year time when he'll make a grand old chaser.
Ark loses maiden tag in the stewards room
Punters well guided by the market at Cork
He has won a maiden and he stays well. He didn't jump at all in his first race but kept galloping to finish fourth. I knew after that, that if he jumped a little better he'd stay and it was a moderate race. We'll see what mark he gets and handicap hurdles over three miles will be his future. Sean (Flanagan) was riding all the Gigginstown horses lately so I thought there was no point upsetting anybody and I left Johnny (Moore) on the other lad. Johnny deserves his chance and rides very well.
Lite Duties leads home Byrnes 1-2 in feature
He broke down very badly the last day he ran in Punchestown and we didn't think we'd ever get him back. We were half-trying to get him back but it wasn't scanning good enough to keep going. It still wouldn't feel great but we said we'd keep the head down and keep going with him so it's great he has won and every day is a bonus. He stays three miles and it was that that won it. He's nine now and we have to play it day by day as it was 60% damage he had to his tendon and it was two thirds the length of the tendon as well. He had been working closely with the second horse but I did think he'd need the run. I'm delighted for the owner (Eamonn Casey) as another fellow would have given up on him.
Livelovelaugh makes all in beginners chase
He loves jumping and his style of jumping suggests he will be a better chaser, we hope. He loves jumping and galloping and I wouldn't be afraid to go up in trip with him either. That ground is very testing and we'll be looking at the staying division. He'll have to go for a Graded race next and give him a shot at a higher grade.
Smokey makes amends for Limerick fall
I saw 7/4 last night and thought it was a price I was half-expecting to see but then he drifted like a barge. But leave him drift all he wants, the horse doesn't know and I backed him twice at 10/1. He was awful unlucky in Limerick and Denis said to me he'd definitely have won. I blame myself in some ways for Limerick because I said to Robbie (Dunne) about my horse in the previous race (Balbir Du Matin), 'why didn't you go on on him' when he could have been 20 lengths clear turning in and went down and won. Then he went out (in the next race) and went on on him (Smokey Joe Joe)!. Today I was full of confidence because I told Denis to land him on the line and Denis is great for that.
Mullins takes Command in bumper
He is a nice type and I'm happy with the way he handled that ground and I think there'll be a lot of improvement on better ground. We'll go up a grade now and go for a winners bumper and stick to that route this season.