Fleurys and Treacy make it three Fleurys Fort (8/1) brought up the hat-trick when battling to success again under Ryan Treacy in the Irishinjuredjockeys.com Handicap Hurdle at Limerick. The eventual runner-up, Shake The Bucket, still travelled smoothly in the straight, but the Margaret Marshall-owned and Leslie Young-trained Fleurys Fort is a doughty battler and he fended off his rival by half a length. It was a relief to see Dramatic Event and Brian O'Connell (suffered an injury to his AC (acromioclavicular) joint and gone to Limerick University Hospital for x-rays) rise after their second last flight spill. "That's four wins for him since October and he keeps progressing. He was rated 99 there and we'll see what he gets but I'm tempted to run in a 0-123 hurdle at Roscommon on Tuesday where he has just 10st 1lbs," commented Young. The Stewards enquired into an incident approaching the second last hurdle involving Dramatic Event, ridden by B.T. O'Connell, faller, Diamondgeezer Luke, ridden by P.E. Corbett, placed fifth, Fleurys Fort, ridden by R.P. Treacy, placed first and Crocodile Dundee, ridden by B.J. Cooper, placed third. Evidence was heard from the riders concerned. Having viewed the recording of the race and considered the evidence, the Stewards were of the opinion that the incident was accidental and took no further action. M.A. Enright, rider of Free Scorpion, trained by Michael Hourigan, reported to the Stewards' Secretaries that his mount stopped quickly and was pulled up. (TW & EM)
