Aikido, blue and white cap, hits the front© Photo Healy Racing
Apprentice Sam Ewing was seen to good effect again when guiding Aikido home in the juvenile auction maiden over seven furlongs at Dundalk.
The pair raced on the heels of the leaders and came through in third approaching the final furlong. Let's and Stay Safe were jostling away at the lead of affairs but nothing came home better than Aikido who collared them with 100 yards to go.
Ewing kept him up to his work, under hands and heels, to win by a head to justify 15/8 favouritism. He gave Ger Lyons a double on the card as Gary Carroll got his Sister Rosetta home by a short head in race four.
Stay Safe (15/2) got the better of Let's (2/1) for second and third respectively.
Assistant trainer Shane Lyons said: “He’s a lovely horse but they went no gallop. He went up from six to seven and you could drop him back again as he has plenty of speed.
“We’ll let him mature now over the winter and he’s a genuine horse that will be nice for next year.”
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
