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Gary Carson

Gary Carson

Freescape has Winter Derby target after landing Dundalk finale

Fri 22nd Dec 2023, 20:20

The crowd watch Freescape and Luke McAteer winThe crowd watch Freescape and Luke McAteer win
© Photo Healy Racing

The race set up nicely for Freescape in the finale at Dundalk tonight as the David Marnane-trained gelding landed the feature event. May Night set a strong pace in the ten furlong contest with Luke McAteer the only one to keep tabs on the leader.

Freescape claimed the front-runner turning for home and still had a few lengths on the field passing the furlong pole, going on to post a four-length win over Benavente

It was a seventh career success for the 8/1 winner, all coming at this venue.

Marnane said: "He would have been favourite if he hadn't run the last day (finished eighth). He kind of clipped heels and whether he just got a bit unbalanced or whatever, I don't know.

"We decided to run a bit more positively tonight and the fractions looked good at halfway, so were delighted. We were in the right place.

"He's a very good horse and he's a very dangerous horse around here. He's a super horse to own, he's eight and he thinks he's three!

"He'll have one more run here and he'll get an entry in the Winter Derby. It has been transferred this year to Southwell from Lingfield. Southwell will suit him better than Lingfield."

(Quotes by Michael Graham)

About Gary Carson
Gary started out as a trainee/assistant journalist with the Sporting Life newspaper and has worked in the racing industry for over 25 years. He has been with the Press Association since 2013 and won the Irish Field Nap Table in 2016. He enjoys working with horses and trained his own horse, Mamaslittlestar, to win a point-to-point in 2019.