Sundial heads for home© Photo Healy Racing
Aidan O'Brien 's Sundial (7/2) relished every yard of 1m6f in the Safer Gambling Navan Maiden.
After coming in runner-up over two miles at Thurles earlier this month, it wasn't surprising to see Seamie Heffernan make this a stamina test from the front.
He disputed with Summer Gale and held a narrow advantage three furlongs out. The Galileo colt increased the pressure on the field as he began to gallop away a furlong and a half down and he kept up the march in the latter stages.
Gambled-on Uxmal was off the bridle a fair way out in fifth, but picked up the chase in second approaching the final furlong.
He couldn't lay a glove on the winner, though, and was beaten two and three quarter lengths at the line. He did come home a clear second, after 370 days off, with a whopping nine and a half length gap back to third-placed Believe In Science (12/1).
Heffernan said: “He’d a couple of runs early on and then went a bit weak, but he ran very well in Thurles and he’s improved. It was tough going out there today and he showed a big heart.
“He was the best horse in the race and galloped out well. He could have gone around again.
“I was always happy with him and that ground was no problem.
“If they are tough and they stay, you never know what they are going to do. If he takes to jumping, he could be decent.”
This race was started by flag due to the amount of rain in Navan.
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
