Lumsden & Roche just hold off Cruella & Foley

The Andy Oliver trained Lumsden just held off Cruella Dovil in the Foleys Bar & Off Licence Sligo Median Auction Maiden.

Down the field on debut at Limerick last month, the son of Helmet then put in a much improved performance at Gowran, finishing fifth of fifteen behind Snapraceps.

As short as 5/1 in early shows, the bay victor proved very easy to back, and went off a 20/1 chance, having opened on-course at 16s.

Soon in a share of the lead with Sunset Nova he was pushed along to lead over a furlong from home and was all out to hold off the late surge of Cruella Dovil and Shane Foley by a nose.

The runner-up, who was returned the even money favourite, briefly searched for a more direct route early in the straight, before being switched back to the outer, and this move may have proved costly.

The aforementioned Sunset Nova (10/1) was another half a length back in third, with the front three all of seven lengths clear of the fourth.

"He hit the gates very well, got up there, got a nice position and travelled well," said Roche.

"They were coming late at him and he was just doing enough for me to keep there. If they had come to me earlier in the straight he would have kept finding.

"He was just idling for the last furlong but he did it well.

"I thought I had held on. I knew 'Dusty' was coming late and quick and it was a bob of the heads. I thought I had held on by a bit more than a nose to be honest."

STEWARDS REPORT

W.J. Lee, rider of Chamrousse trained by W. McCreery, reported to the Clerk of Scales that his mount kicked at the stalls as they opened, which caused him to loose ground.

Additional reporting by Gary Carson