Cafe Con Leche and Denis Hogan© Photo Healy Racing
Cafe Con Leche took full advantage of a very disappointing effort by the long odds-on favourite Oak Park to open his account in the Rosegreen Maiden Hurdle at Clonmel.
Trained and ridden by Denis Hogan, the Camacho gelding took up the running at the penultimate flight as the 4/11 favourite weakened quickly.
The 7/2 winner, placed on a number of occasions both on the Flat and over hurdles, asserted approaching the final flight and kept on well on the run-in for an easy four and a half lengths verdict over Miss Oriental
Oak Park was pulled up before the final flight by Davy Russell.
Hogan said, "I followed the favourite and he stopped down the straight and I won't say I went by him at speed, but I got by him.
"It was a very ordinary race and he was probably rated to win and he is actually very ground-versatile and has good ground on the flat as well.
"He didn't feel in love with that ground but I don't think any horse would be. It is sapping, gruelling, sticky, deep and not nice for any horse. There was a lot of sloppy jumping but that's because they are finding it hard to get out of it.
"He's entered in the Fred Winter next week but I'd say we'll take our time with him."
(TW & AM)
