Well-bred Bridge gets off the mark

A half-brother to 2006 1000 Guineas heroine Speciosa, Pivot Bridge was a 15,000 guineas buy at Tattersalls last October and judging by his victory in the Live at Leopardstown Festival of Music & Racing Handicap under Ian Brennan, he'll give his owners the Dalys of Cockney Lad fame and trainer Adrian McGuinness plenty of fun in the coming times.

Pivot Bridge made a reasonably encouraging start for McGuinness at Listowel when fifth just last Sunday and he came forward plenty for that to lead over a furlong out before going on to convincingly account for Sadler's Mark by a length and three parts.

McGuinness said: "We bought him at Newmarket last year and he was to go juvenile hurdling in the winter but he had some problems.

"He's a big immature horse, owned by Dan Daly who had Cockney Lad.

"He'll go hurdling before the year is out and we're just getting to know him.

"We rang Robert Winston (rode him cross-channel) and he said that he'd love soft ground." (GC & EM)