Heffernan gets the gaps late on to win on Golden Ocean Golden Ocean, who would have been a most unfortunate loser, got the gaps when it mattered to get up close home to record a second course and distance success in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies & Mares Handicap at Navan. Having beaten a subsequently winner when landing her maiden here last month, the Michael O'Callaghan trained filly was sent off 2/1 to follow up on her handicap debut. Held up in rear of the six runners, Seamie Heffernan was travelling easily on the inner rail with nowhere to go over two furlongs out. Switched to the outer, Heffernan once again saw his passage blocked, forcing him to switch back to the inside to make his challenge. Ridden over a furlong out, Golden Ocean went second 100 yards out, before getting to leader Quadruple in the final strides. Staying on strongly, the daughter of Blue Point prevailed by half-a-length. Michael O'Callaghan said: "She's gorgeous. Jim Ryan bought her as a yearling and she's an absolute oil painting. She's a beautiful, old-fashioned looking filly and she's bred to look that way. She's out of a three-time Group-1 winner by Galileo. "Beautiful temperament and she is very enthusiastic. "She's still relatively unexposed. We were learning about her on her first couple of starts. "She went home then to Jim's farm for a couple of months and she freshened up lovely and she strengthened up. She grew up and she came back to me in beautiful shape before she won the last day. "I'd say she will go a mile and a-quarter next year. "She is one that it is nice to go through the grades with because she needs to grow up a little bit. "Seamie really likes her and we will look forward to her next year." Additional reporting by Michael Graham.
