Johnny Murtagh and John Oxx recorded a double on the evening as their Saddler's Rock ran out an impressive winner of the Follow Leopardstown on Facebook Handicap, the fourth winning favourite of the evening.
The 6/4 chance who won his maiden at Tipperary over a mile and four two weeks ago today, relished the step up in trip by two furlongs as he ran out an easy three and a half lengths winner from King Of Aran (7/1) back in second.
The progressive son of Sadler's Wells tracked the leader Solo Performer in second, before moving into the lead before the straight. He was ridden to assert under two furlongs from home and kept on well from there.
Winning trainer John Oxx said afterwards: "He won well enough. I hate winning small runner handicaps well, as you get pasted by the handicapper for only beating a few horses.
"He is stepping along nicely and he liked the trip. For a Sadler's Wells he does very well on the fast ground. He would prefer it on the slow side of good but not heavy.
"He might be a horse for the Cesarewitch but the handicapper will hardly be to easy on him.
"Out of the five horse I have here tonight he is the only one I would have run with the ground like that. I kept them in with the 15 millimetres of rain forecast, but it never seems to come at Leopardstown."
