Koniag comes good on first start at three

Kieran Cotter registered his fourth winner of the campaign, as Koniag claimed the concluding Legacy Wine Bar 3yo Handicap under Declan McDonogh.

A E55,000 yearling purchase, the Kodiac gelding failed to make a significant impact as a juvenile, with his best effort coming at Naas in September.

Last seen finishing down the field at Dundalk, the 58-rated bay was sent off a 9/1 chance this evening having touched 20s earlier.

Settled in mid-division on the outer, the Gigginstown House Stud-bred victor made good progress from early in the straight and was ridden in third over a furlong from home.

He ultimately stayed on best in the closing stages, getting up in the final strides to deny Artful Approach (8/1) by a neck, with Nakasero (10/1) a further three-quarters of a length back in third.

Returned the 4/1 favourite (from 6s), the Henry de Bromhead-trained Zenato was another two-lengths back in fourth.

"He was a bit backward as a two-year-old. We got a few runs into him and he ran quite respectable in a few nurseries. He was always going to improve as a three-year-old," Cotter commented.

"He's a good honest horse and we'll see where we go from this. Hopefully he keeps progressing as the year goes on. He didn't have a great draw and did it the hard way.

"We fancied him a bit coming here and he's a horse that you wouldn't mind running over hurdles in time."

Additional reporting by Alan Magee