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Review curragh 19th Apr
Parish Hall takes Listed glory at the Curragh
© Photo Healy Racing
< Flight Risk sprung a major surprise as he took the feature Big Bad Bob Gladness Stakes at the Curragh at 50-1 on a great day for the Jim Bolger team.
Well beaten in Listed company on his seasonal bow at Cork a fortnight ago, the four-year-old raced close to the rails in the Group Three contest and Kevin Manning found a dream gap up the inside when he started his forward move.
Fancied pair Sruthan and Sovereign Debt held every chance, but Flight Risk forged clear and had too many guns as Piri Wango and Cable Bay threw down their challenges in the final furlong, winning by a length and a quarter.
Bolger and Manning took the other big race on the card when Group One winner Parish Hall proved too strong for Listed opposition in the Alleged Stakes.
The six-year-old (9-2) was beaten in a contest on the Dundalk all-weather last month, but bounced back as he swept past favourite Massinga a furlong out and ran on strongly to hold his stable companion Loch Garman by two lengths.
Bolger earlier saddled a one-two in the juveniles' Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden when Manning sent 2-1 favourite Mimicking up to join Ard San Aer a furlong out and pushed the Godolphin newcomer clear to score readily by a length and three-quarters.
Aidan O'Brien won the three-year-olds' Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden, but not with favourite Los Barbados as Sandro Botticelli (11-1) took a nice gap up the rails inside the final furlong under Seamie Heffernan to finish three-quarters of a length ahead.< Penny Pepper (5-1) was twice second when trained in England last season and won on her debut for Kevin Prendergast in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden, asserting from the quarter-mile pole under Chris Hayes to score by two and a half lengths.
Hayes doubled up when Papa's Way (9-2) put up a gutsy show to hold off all-comers in the Clongowes Wood College Bicentenary Handicap, while Shane Foley brought In Salutem (11-1) through from the rear to take the Cunnighams Of Kildare Handicap.