Red All Star scores for Keane/Leonard

The five furlong Crowne Plaza Hotel Race & Stay Handicap at Dundalk today featured no less than ten horses, from a field of 15, racing from the basement rating of 45 with the Ger Keane trained feather weight Red All Star winning under Killian Leonard.

The 45 rated son of Haatef, a maiden winner for trainer Pat Martin in 2014, overcame a wide draw in 13 today when scoring his second career win, beating off 6/4 favourite Strategic Force by half a length.

The race had a decidedly 'bottom-heavy' look with top weight Head Space competing from 65 and the next highest rated racing from marks of 58, 56 and 54 whereas the remainder of the field ran from the lowest rating of 45. Four of those 45 rated runners filled the first five placings.

Keane later stated “he’s a grand horse but gets very wound up when he goes racing so we take him out early as the less fuss the better.

“He had a bad draw the last day and had to be bustled up to get a position and then he ran too keen but I think he’s well handicapped and could win a couple with a bit of luck.

“Killian reckons five is his trip but I don’t think there is anything in the next couple of weeks so we might chance him over six as well.”

By Tom Weekes, quotes from Gary Carson