Cage Rattler strikes for Kinsella & Caffrey

Cage Rattler justified 3/1 favouritism in the seven-furlong handicap for older horses. 

Having tracked the leaders, the chesnut son of National Defense hit the front two furlongs out under Adam Caffrey and, despite edging left, stayed on well to account for Passionate by a length and three quarters with Manhattan Dandy back in third.

Runner-up at Leopardstown in early April, the four-year-old was then unplaced in a Curragh sprint but is now the fourth horse from that contest to have won on its next start. 

“We fancied him the last day in the Curragh, it was a small handicap with a big pot, but it was probably a little bit short for him,” said winning trainer John Kinsella who is based in Rathdrum Co Wicklow. 

“He ran well in Leopardstown over seven and he had 12lb off Manhattan Dandy today so we were kind of confident he would reverse the form. 

“He nearly threw it away by hanging, he's still green and he'll hopefully improve. He's only had six runs and we let him out for a year after his two-year-old run as he was big and immature.

“He handles a dig in the ground. He's in Killarney on Tuesday and he might go there, we'll see how he comes out of this.”

Cage Rattler was a second Gowran winner in less than 24 hours for the R F ((Richard) O'Brien Racing Syndicate after the victory of the Conor Maxwell-trained Play It Again Zaam in Wednesday's nightcap. 

Quotes from Gary Carson