Foley brushes aside McCreery and scores on Trooper

Shane Foley booked himself for the ride on Willie McCreery's Elite Trooper Grey at Sligo today as the trainer bowed to the jockey's demands before landing the Kevin Egan Cars Handicap.

The son of Fast Company carried frustrating form-figures of '23-23422' coming into today's race but finally got off the mark as he beat Takeachancejimmy by half a length.

Former Kildare footballer McCreery isn't one to be pushed around and neither is plucky Foley, who is retained by Elite Trooper Grey's owner Zhang Yuesheng. Afterwards the winning trainer revealed “I was keen to put a claimer on him but Shane said 'no I'm riding as I think he has a great chance' so I said 'fair enough, just win on him so'. He gave him a lovely ride.”

He added “I had him in last week in Galway but I said we'd wait for this as it's good prize-money.

“They went fast enough and he likes a bit of trouble; he's been second to a lot of good horses and the horse that beat him in Limerick is now rated over 100.

“He hasn't had a bad run. Earlier this year the horse that beat him in Leopardstown was third in Royal Ascot while the lad (Sovereign) who beat him last year in Galway happened to win the Derby!

“He has great form and I'm just delighted we can get a win for Mr Zhang.

“He's a Fast Company so he needed a bit of ease in the ground.

“I thought the handicapper had been a bit hard on him, putting him up 10lb for his last three runs I think that's unfair on horses in Ireland. I think if you finish second you should be dropped 2lb because it means you are trying.”

Jockey Foley was completing a double having earlier won the maiden on For The Trees

Quotes from Gary Carson