Buttermere Ridge in isolation towards the stands' side rail© Photo Healy Racing
Buttermere Ridge sprang an upset on the odds-on-favourite Miss Tapley in the opening median auction maiden for three-year-olds in Gowran Park.
Buttermere Ridge shifted markedly to his left a quarter of a mile out as he tried to make headway on Solomon Coop and Itsonlyjustbegun.
Although he forfeited ground, he showed off his engine in striding to the front with over a furlong to race. Billy Lee kept him up to his work along the stands' side rail in the closing stages to see it out by two and a-quarter lengths at 15/2.
Solomon Coop showed improvement on his third start to finish second at 7/1 with 8/15 favourite Miss Tapley another length and a-quarter away in third.
Trainer Willie McCreery said: “He's a big horse. Dave Hyland bred him and Caren Walsh is involved, she lost her husband a few months ago so it's a great tonic for her. David L'Estrange chose to go and see his horse in Tipperary today. I'm delighted for the three of them because he's taken a lot of time to come to hand, they've been very patient.
“I was giving him a run to see how he got on because he needed to get out, he's just a lazy bugger at home. It's great to get him started and we might look for a winners' race somewhere.
“He's a lovely horse and he'll like better ground, he just got away with it there.”
Afterwards, Lee commented that his mount was up the middle of the track and he let him drift over to the left to have the rail, and that he was green and lonely.
Additional reporting by Gary Carson
