Schooling pays off for Crackaway

Crackaway made the breakthrough in Sligo and landed a gamble in the process.

The five-year-old French-bred gelding lined up for the first division of the two and a half mile handicap hurdle and was backed at all rates from 25/1 to 9/1.

He raced in rear and made progress after three out. He grabbed a narrow lead entering the straight but Deo Bellator held every chance upsides at the last.

Crackway kept on best to assert by two and three quarter lengths in the closing stages. Deo Bellator, the 3/1 favourite, couldn't match him and finished second. Crack On Corrie plodded on at one pace for third at 16/1 and was 16 lengths adrift of the runner-up.

Trainer Seamus Fahey said: "We schooled him last week on the Curragh and Kevin (Sexton) was there schooling another horse for us. I asked him would he ride this one for us today and he said, after seeing him jump, that he would.

"It was a very moderate race but you take what you can.

"He's been running well on the Flat and he handled the surface when he ran at Dundalk so that's an option, but we might look for another one of these over hurdles first."

Additional reporting by Mark Nunan