Going - Good. Fine
Placepot Pool - 9,166.64 Days Aggregate - 146,496.45 Last Year 118,504.00
Galway winner that never was takes Punchestown opener
She would have been unlucky not to win. She was coming with a lovely run and Chris said she would probably have won easy (but for the interference),. She was good there. She had some fancy entries and I've always thought a lot of her. We'll try and find one of those back end listed or Group 3 races for her. I'd love to step her up to a mile as well.
River Thames is a 'snug' winner on debut
Slatterys strike with Khafaaq
Casanova follows-up as Hayes doubles-up
He has really turned inside out. He had loads of problems before we bought him and he has gotten stronger and really filled out. I had a meal with the Dooley brothers yesterday and we said if he won this we might go for the Balmoral Handicap at Ascot on Champions Day so that will probably be the target now. We don't work him at home because he's a hard ride and very keen, it's all about settling him.
Champion Green completes Lordan brace
I don't know how good of a race it was but he did it well and was doing his best work at the end of the race. He's going to stay further and he's got his head in front now. Wayne said he was a bit slow away but got into a nice position the whole way and stayed on well, he basically outstayed the others.
Comfortable win for Fox as Harrington completes double
She did it very well. She's a beautifully bred filly and when we won the maiden in the Curragh we thought it was job done. On her work we thought maybe she had a nice mark. For her fourth run to do what she did from a wide draw, she was very professional about it and we're delighted. I'd love to sneak a bit of black-type for her but she is going to be covered southern hemisphere time. That is the plan at the moment but it might get changed, I don't know. Once she was made a winner that is what they decided to do but she's won two now and we'll see what the owners want to do.
Evergreen And Red justifies favouritism under Harnett
I said to him in Navan 'whatever you do if you are going to get beat, get beat for coming too late - not too early'. Hence he took it up coming down the hill and got beat. I said the same thing today but I was thinking to myself 'oh my God, where has he gone now!' I have to watch that race again as I don't know what happened, I suppose he gave him a good ride!. He's a leggy horse and I suppose we'll try something similar. I'd say that trip, a mile-and-one or a mile-and-two, is about his trip. He likes a little ease in the ground but probably doesn't like it soft. We'll see what the handicapper does and we'll school him as well and see how that goes. He's called Evergreen And Red because the people that own him (the London Racing Partnership) are from Mayo.
Harney 'on cloud nine' as consistent Florentine wins again
She's a lovely filly and she has improved so much from last year. She could have easily won four. She won in Roscommon and then got beat by a horse (Li Mu Bai) in Fairyhouse that has won again in Navan and had a right few pounds in hand. She just got beat on a bob at the line in Bellewstown and then has come here today and won. The man that owns her is a local man, John Harney, and he bred her as well. He's on cloud nine to have a winner in Punchestown and the family are all here as well. She's very tough and honest and it's great to have her. She'll go as far as she can until she reaches her peak and somewhere along the line she'll pull up at the end of the year. Her half-sister (Beat Of The Sea) jumps hurdles but I don't think this one will go jumping. We'll keep going with her as long as we can.