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Mark Nunan

Mark Nunan

Desert Cave routs rivals under Shinnick

Mon 17th Jun 2024, 19:27

Desert Cave spreadeagles the fieldDesert Cave spreadeagles the field
© Photo Healy Racing

The second split of the Belvedere House & Gardens Opportunity Handicap Hurdle saw the 9/2 favourite Desert Cave rout his rivals under John Shinnick.

Fifth over 2m1f on his recent handicap debut at Wexford, Harry Gettings' six-year-old led after three out and went right away on the approach to the last to slam Cloughroe by a whopping 26 lengths.

Declan Queally, assistant trainer to his father and namesake, said: “That was mighty and I’m delighted for Harry who is a great supporter of ours.

“He’s a horse that won a four-year-old (point-to-point) and had a couple of niggly problems so Harry threw him out into a field for a year.

“He’s relished a step up in trip and better ground. I suppose he’ll get a good hike in the handicap for that, but it was a very weak race.

“I thought he was a bit of a monkey when he was running in winners’ races and he got beat in two winners. He went today but maybe not every day!”

Quotes from Alan Magee

About Mark Nunan
Mark has followed racing since he was a teenager and worked for many years as a broadcaster with the Irish version of Racecall. He joined the Press Association in 2019 and is also a contributor to the Racing Post. A native of Kildare, he now lives in Sligo.