Michael Graham
New Kid In Town enjoys better ground
New Kid In Town fends off Liss Ui Riain
© Photo Healy Racing
New Kid In Town gave Willie and Patrick Mullins a victory in the concluding bumper at Roscommon.
The five-year-old was sent off 9/4 second favourite to oblige, with John Kiely’s Liss Ui Riain fancied by many to step up on the promise shown on her debut third in Killarney. She was the 2/1 jolly.
Derek O’Connor was up on Liss Ui Riain and she raced in rear before moving closer on the home turn. New Kid In Town was travelling powerfully at the head of proceedings, but Liss Ui Riain tracked him and made a battle of it during the final furlong. She couldn’t quite reel in the leader and was beaten two and a quarter lengths at the finish.
That’s Nice lived up to his name when running an eyecatching race in third at 50/1 for Michael Hourigan.
“He’s a good ground horse. He could go for a two mile three winners’ bumper in Cork then he might go for a maiden hurdle at Galway. He ran badly in his point-to-points because of heavy ground,” Patrick Mullins said.
“The girl in the yard, Anna Paletti, has done a lot of work on his back and it seems to have worked well. He’s for sale.”
Additional reporting by Gary Carson