Mark Nunan
Tyrone & Donegal team up with Capla Knight
Capla Knight beats Miracles In May
© Photo Healy Racing
Capla Knight was a 16/1 winner of the Irishinjuredjockeys.com Handicap and completed a double for jockey Luke McAteer.
It was a good evening’s work for the Donegal native whose claim will be reduced to 3lb in future.
He tracked the leaders on the Sir Prancealot gelding who got into contention from early in the straight. After gaining a narrow advantage a furlong out, the winner stayed on well to defeat Miracles In May by half a length with Macadam’s Rock a length further back in third.
Winner of an all-weather claimer at Chelmsford for Gay Kelleway, this was a first win in Ireland for the four-year-old who had been placed a couple of times over seven furlongs at this venue earlier in the winter.
Winning trainer Patrick McKenna said: "To be fair Seamie (Heffernan) said the last day that he wanted every bit of a mile.
“We knew ourselves he wanted seven or a mile but we dropped him back to six the last day to see how he would handle it.
“He had a good man in Seamie on him the last day and Luke gave him a peach today, it's great for him to get a double.
“Unfortunately Conor (son, victorious owner and All-Ireland winner) is at training with Tyrone tonight so he can't be here, he'll be regretting missing it but it's great to get a winner.
“The horses are flying. They are low grade horses and to compete here at all is unbelievable. We have a good system now and it seems to work, long may it last.”
Quotes from Gary Carson