John O'Riordan
Robbies Rock gives Cromwell and Carroll closing race double
Robbies Rock and Gary Carroll
© Photo Healy Racing
Having won the previous race with a smart newcomer, Gavin Cromwell and Gary Carroll doubled up when Robbies Rock landed the concluding NavanRacecourse.ie Handicap at the County Meath track.
Having just his fifth start on the Flat, the three-year-old who finished second in a juvenile hurdle at Killarney on his penultimate start showed plenty of stamina to gallop away from his rivals up the stiff hill.
Held up in mid division by Gary Carroll, the 13/2 chance closed on the leaders over two-furlongs from home. Heading front runner Highland Bells over a furlong out, the Cromwell runner stayed on well to win by four-and-a-quarter-lengths.
Highland Bells kept on well to hold second, with Waystar a further half-length back in third.
Gavin Cromwell said: "He's a very big, raw horse and hopefully there is a bit of improvement there.
"For a horse that has had a few runs, he's still fairly raw but he went to the line well. The rail was a help to him.
"He's never made a noise at home or anything like that but what he did do, the last day in Killarney over hurdles, he made a mistake at the first and just kind of held his breath. We just stuck the tongue-tie on to maybe rule it out."
Additional reporting by Michael Graham.