Progressive Naoise off the mark

Those with long memories will remember Naoise being pretty coltish in the preliminaries prior to his debut at Wexford back in July but the chestnut has obviously progressed with experience and that improvement carried him to a maiden success, in the first split of the Irish Stablestaff Association Awards 3rd March Handicap in the hands of Kevin Manning.

The runners in this seven furlong event fanned out across the track in the straight and the victorious American-bred found the necessary to cut down Forbidden City in the closing stages to score by three parts of a length. Cailin Coilltreach came home well to be third, a neck adrift.

Neil Magee, representing winning trainer, Jim Bolger, said: "The drop back to seven furlongs (second here over a mile a week ago) suited him and he's tough out."

The Stewards interviewed P.J. Smullen rider of Elusive Express unplaced, concerning his use of the whip in the closing stages of this race

The rider stated that his mount was further back in the field than wanted and when straightening up he produced the filly with one long run down the outside and felt that she responded well to the point that he thought that she might be placed. By his own admission he considered that he should have refrained from using his whip on the final hit when out of contention.

Having viewed a recording of the race and considered the evidence the Stewards were of the opinion that P.J. Smullen was in breach of R10 (2)(b) by using his whip when his chance or winning or being placed was clearly gone and suspended him for 1 raceday

(AM & EM)