Ano Syra and Jamie Powell win the Rockingham Handicap © Photo Healy Racing
Young apprentice Jamie Powell enjoyed an afternoon to remember when taking the Rockingham Handicap at the Curragh.
Successful aboard Coumshinagaun half an hour earlier, the 7lb claimer was back in the winners enclose after one of the feature sprint handicaps of the year.
It was the second time in just over a week that himself and Johnny Feane combined to win a major premier handicap.
Powell, son of the late Anthony(Powell), always had the filly up with the pace on the stands side and went for home over a furlong out. In what turned into a real test on the rain softened ground, the combination stayed on strongly to win well.
“Jamie has ridden five winners for me now from eight rides with two seconds and a fourth. He's doing well for me at the moment anyway,” said Feane.
“We got her before Christmas, Charlotte and James were kind enough to send her to us, and she's kept improving. In fairness to Kevin Manning he's done a lot of work with her as well.
“We thought she'd get a bit of black-type in the future and we'd plot a course through the year with her.
“We were a little bit worried about the ground but she was brave, she has a big heart.
“I know she had a light weight but she was a three-year-old taking on older sprinters. She travelled really well and she's just a good filly.” Additional reporting by Gary Carson
