Going - Good (Good to Firm in places). Showery
Jackpot Pool - 5,000.00 Dividend - 1,750.00 Winning Units - 2. Placepot Pool - 29,806.56 Dividend - 17.90 Winning Units - 1160.75. Pick Six Pool - 6,712.38 Not Won. Carried forward to Limerick on Sunday 21st May. Days Aggregate - 167,937.00 (7 races). Last Year 224,590.00 (8 races).
Lynam & Lordan combine with Dierama
She's important to win with. She's owned by a very important owner but more importantly she's very well-bred. She's out of a half-sister to Anthem Alexander and Dandy Man and the dam has bred Hamza. She always had pace but it was just hard to teach her how to gallop. She was probably a little bit immature mentally. Wayne gave her a proper ride. That was the plan, although I felt like changing it at half-way, but it worked out great. We'll see what mark the handicapper gives her now.
Guessthebill another for Murtagh
It was a good performance. I was a bit worried the ground might have gone a bit quick but the showers definitely helped. Pat said he's not a five furlong horse and probably just got away with it today. He's a horse we'll see getting six furlongs and he said he might even get seven furlongs in the end. He's surprised me how quick he's come to hand early in the year. He doesn't look like a two-year-old but he's got a little bit of ability and hopefully he'll go on and do something good for us in the middle and towards the end of the season. The owners aren't keen on Royal Ascot. I think he's done a lot quickly, a lot more than we thought he would at this stage of his career. He won't be an Ascot horse but will be one to look forward to towards the end of the year.
Celebration makes perfect start for Lyons
It was great and we're very happy with him. We expected him to run well on the best of his English form. He's been very straight forward at home. He came in later to us, in February, and got a good old break after coming from England. I was told he had a good freshen up and to take him and play with him and see what he was. This race presented itself and he was ready to go. I would say five or six with him and ground's not a problem to him. He just seems to be very straight forward. We're after winning first start and are just hoping to build on that. It's great for the Gaelic Thoroughbreds club. It's there first winner and I hope it's the first of many. They have three older horses, two of which have run and hopefully we'll win with them. Then we have three two-year-olds. It's the first venture for the group of lads and it was set up by David Spratt. It's fantastic. Our yard is not known for syndicates but it's a nice way in. Instead of having one horse they've six horses and they will have action all year around. That's the whole idea of it. David is good at buying these horses in training and I'm good at the two-year-old's so between us we should give them plenty of fun.
Nice performance from Naughty in the feature
I thought the second was coming to gobble us up there. He (Declan) was drawn on the inside and we were holding her up a bit. He was in a bit of a pocket and when the chance came he had to take it and go a little bit sooner than he wanted to. For a green filly she was in front plenty soon enough and that was maybe contributing to her stopping a little at the end but it's great to win with her. She stays well, she got the trip well and she has a bit of a turn of foot too. She's not one paced by any means. I had thought after Gowran we might run her in the Naas Oaks Trial over a mile-and-a-quarter but she would probably appreciate a mile-and-a-half. She has an entry in the Ribblesdale Stakes but that might be a fair jump up. We'll see as she's still quite green and might keep improving. This is supposed to be a lead up race to the Queen's Vase and that would be an option but it is an extra furlong this year. Those are the two alternatives and it might be one or the other.
Star another for Lavery & Whelan
I thought early on in the race he was in trouble but Ronan said he's just still really green, just a big baby. Then when he got him travelling he actually wasn't worried. He's said he's versatile ground wise and could step up in trip but can stay at that trip and there's still more improvement in him. It's nice when they come back and say there is loads more improvement there. He took a heave then flattened out. I was worried going to the start had I done enough work with him. He was a very weak two-year-old so it's taken him a while to come to hand. I'm delighted. He has a great brain and seems to take his racing well. Last time he came home, just tucked in and ate up. We'll see what mark he gets and have a look at the calendar. There is a three-year-old only handicap over this trip here next month so we may aim at that.
Charm finally delivers under Kelly
Remarkable a surprise winner of the last
She disappointed in Roscommon when she probably didn't stay the trip. In fairness to Pat Smullen he said drop her back in trip and she'd draw. She did it well. She might go to the Curragh next weekend if she comes out of it alright. There is a fillies handicap over a mile there.