Next Stop Broadway and Shane Crosse© Photo Healy Racing
French-import Next Stop Broadway stuck on his third outing in Ireland in the Outcider By Magners Handicap at Down Royal.
For owners Theresa and Con Marnane, and trainer Aidan Fogarty, the Lope de Vega chestnut defied one of the top-weight burdens in the hands of champion apprentice Shane Crosse.
Always to the fore the well-backed Next Stop Broadway (4s from 6s on track, and bigger earlier) accounted for Mallacoota by a length and a quarter.
Thankfully The Lady's Bid and Andrew Slattery were up and okay after coming a cropper inside the final quarter mile.
Leading international breeze-up consignors under their Bansha House Stables banner, the Marnanes of course famously landed the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2017 with Different League.
"Sure he's as tough as nails. Con (Marnane) bought him cheap and he is a grand horse," said Fogarty.
"He might win another one, we might find something in Galway towards the end of the week. I think there is a race there for him on Saturday, so he might go for that.
"He's very genuine. He ran a few times last year in France and he probably just needed time to fill out as he is a big, strong horse.
"That trip seems to be ideal for him because even though he gallops he's not slow. He has a little bit of pace as well.
"He ran very well in Killarney - Shane's brother Nathan (Crosse) actually rode him and he thought that he didn't go hard enough on him in Killarney. This place probably suited him better too - a big, galloping track."
At the request of the Stewards, A.J. Slattery, rider of The Lady's Bid, trained by P.M.Rogers, reported to the Stewards' Secretaries that his mount clipped heels independently and unseated him with no blame attached to any other horse or rider. C D Hayes rider of Manard confirmed A J Slattery's account of the incident. Having viewed the video of the incident the Stewards took no action. .
(MG & EM)
