Croi An Or, near side, gets up to nail Learn close home at Killarney© Photo Healy Racing
Just as the O’Briens were setting up a quickfire double at Killarney Wayne Lordan and Croi An Or got up on the line to pip short-priced favourite Learn by a head.
Joseph O’Brien made all on Learn (8/13) and while the others were queuing up to challenge in the extended mile Easy Clean Ltd Race, it was Lordan who drove Croi An Or up in the final 100 yards to get the verdict on the line.
It’s now a three-way tie at the head of the jockeys championship with Lordan, O’Brien and Pat Smullen locked on 37 winners.
Fozzy Stack, assistant trainer to his father Tommy, said: “We’ll see what the handicapper does. He could go for the Topaz Mile at Galway or he could go back into Listed company. The better ground helped today.”
Punters got stuck into Learn this morning backing him down to 8/13 from even money, but Croi An Or didn’t go unbacked as he opened at 6/1 on course and was punted down to 9/2. Regulation was third for Mick Halford and Shane Foley while the the easy to back Elusive Ridge (11/2 in the morning to 14/1 at the track) finished fourth of the seven runners. He wasn’t able to dictate matters from the front today.
Last-time out Learn was third and Croi An Or was fifth in a Listed race at the Curragh over a mile at level weights. Learn had beaten his rival by three and a half lengths that day, but Croi An Or enjoyed a two pound pull in the weights tonight.
Michael Graham (on course reporting by Alan Magee)
