Cooper doubles up on Tiger

Bryan Cooper completed a double at Thurles as Tiger Trek readily landed odds of 4/9 in the Cashel Maiden Hurdle.

Cooper, successful earlier on Allied Victory was recording his sixth winner in the past week since returning from a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a serious leg injury.

Tiger Trek was certainly not winning out of turn having built up a sequence of placed efforts recently, and connections decided to keep it simple by making the running.

Favourite backers had no worries in the straight as he drew clear between the final two flights for an easy nine lengths verdict over Time For Bucks Do Try Dolly kept on nicely in the closing stages to take third.

Winning trainer Dessie Hughes’ daughter Sandra said, “He did it well. Barry Geraghty rode him the last day and felt if he’d kicked at the last he’d have won, so we said we’d make use of his jumping today and make the running.

“He just stays and that will give him confidence, and it’s onwards and upwards from here.”

Cooper said, “He deserves to get his head in front. He got a little lonely in front and some company would have done him no harm.

“He doesn’t want real quick ground but he doesn’t want very soft ground either. He was second at Gowran (last November) and we thought he was a good horse but he’s just had a few problems.

“He’s a real chaser, and should go on from that.”

(TW & AM)