Bandua is clear at Cork© Photo Healy Racing
Newcomer Bandua was the latest wide margin winner at bottomless Cork races today, landing the Blackwater Maiden in the same, deep, footprints of his trainer Dermot Weld's subsequent Epsom hero Harzand, who won this same race in 2016.
Epsom Derby winner Harzand won this same maiden race, by 16 lengths, on heavy ground in 2016 and while there is no suggestion Bandua has Harzand's ability, the The Factor today scored well on debut when beating fellow newcomer Arthurian Fame by nine and a half lengths.
Friendless even money favourite (from 2/5 this morning) Giuseppe Garibaldi finished a further 14 lengths away in third, in a race started without starting stalls due to ground conditions.
The win was the third, from five races, in a list of wide margin winners with Expected landing the opener by 21 lengths and Allegio winning the half-hour earlier mile handicap by all of 33 lengths.
Weld wasn't present but afterwards winning jockey Declan McDonogh stated “he’s a lovely horse, very relaxed, doesn’t overdo it, and that helped him in the ground.
“He’s a nice horse and the boss man (Weld) thought a bit of him coming here so it’s nice to get him across the line. He’s probably adaptable ground well, but he handled it well today.”
