Top Line Tommy and Colin Keane (two shades of blue) come through to collar Arctic Blaze(white face)© Photo Healy Racing
Topweight Top Line Tommy (10s into 15/2) came from well off the pace to land the DundalkStadium.com Handicap (Div I) for trainer Edward O’Grady.
Driven along entering the straight with only a few rivals behind him, the Morpheus gelding saw the trip out well to reel in Arctic Blaze (6/1) in the final furlong. A length and a quarter was the margin of victory, with the same gap between the runner-up and the slow-starting third home Macaban City (4/1 jt fav).
The winner had shown some ability in his early days with Ger Lyons before joining his present handler for whom he has been placed four times in maiden hurdles. This was his first outing on the Flat for well over a year.
“It wasn’t looking likely for a long way," said winning rider Colin Keane who was riding his first winner for O'Grady.
“He’s a grand big horse. He’s a half-brother to Tony The Gent and Ger (Lyons) had him as a young horse. We thought he’d be a right fun horse and I didn’t think it would take him this long to win.
“He’s had a couple of nice runs over hurdles and he handled that surface well. I’m sure he’ll be a nice horse to mix and match throughout the summer.
“When he got it together he came home very well. The penny could still be only dropping with him and he’s still a massive raw horse.”
“For a big horse he handles that surface well so you’d imagine he could be competitive in staying handicaps through the summer.”
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
