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- Bolger & Manning double-up with Pirolo
Donal Murphy
Bolger & Manning double-up with Pirolo
Pirolo and Kevin Manning (leading) lead home Zamira and Billy Lee
© Photo Healy Racing
Pirolo landed a gamble in the concluding Come To The Family Day May 20th Handicap, providing Jim Bolger and Kevin Manning with a 104/1 double.
Bolger and Manning were earlier successful with Vociferous Marina at 20/1, and Pirolo was also available at fancy prices this morning (as big as 16's), before he was well-backed, touching 7/2 on-course, before going off the 4/1 favourite.
Settled behind the leaders in third, the successful chestnut son of Teofilo improved into second with three furlongs left to race.
He was ridden to challenge the leader Zamira from the two furlong pole, edging to the front inside the final furlong, before going on to prevail by a neck.
Zamira (12's to 8's) battled gamely once headed, but she ultimately had to settle for second under Billy Lee for Willie McCreery. Chocolat Noir ran on well to take third, a further half a length back under Connor King for Johnny Murtagh at 8/1.
Jim Bolger said afterwards: "I thought he ran well in bad ground in Mallow and felt the run would bring him on a bit. The better ground also made a difference.
"He'll make someone a nice hurdler. He's uncomplicated and you can go anywhere in a race with him which always helps.
"He has also run well at Dundalk in the past so that's a possibility for him."
Additional reporting by Gary Carson