Casey gains deserved winning bracket

Along Came Casey made amends for a very unlucky second at the Galway Festival when going one better in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden at odds of 9/10.

Championship leader Pat Smullen, now four ahead of Johnny Murtagh in the Flat jockeys table on the 53 winner mark, sent her to the front at the furlong pole and could afford to ease her down in the closing stages to beat Alabelle (7/2) by one and a half lengths.

The front-running Livia's Wake (10/1) was another half length back in third.

The winner was nearly brought down soon after leaving the stalls at Galway before staying on well to be second, and winning trainer Dermot Weld said, “That was a reward for Galway where she was very unlucky, although it was equally very fortunate that both her and Pat were okay. That's the first horse that Ronald Schor, a Florida-based businessman, has had in Ireland.”

Alan Magee