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Michael Graham

Michael Graham

Tandem gives a glimpse of his potential

Sat 6th Sep 2014, 17:12

Tandem has them all at work in NavanTandem has them all at work in Navan
© Photo Healy Racing

Tandem passed the winning post on the bit with Robbie McNamara motionless as the pair put three and a quarter lengths on nearest rival Tom’s Article at Navan.

Dermot Weld’s five-year-old gelding tracked The Black Devil in a close-up second throughout, but was going appreciably better upon jumping the third last. He was soon in the lead and asserted before the last with McNamara as quiet as a mouse on board. Although a bit untidy at that hurdle, the jockey could afford a look round half way up the run-in and knew the race was in the bag. He justified 1/2 favouritism.

Tom’s Article (25/1) kept on up the hill to take second from Crown Theatre (8/1), but they were very much involved in a race for minor honours.

“He did it impressively. He just missed the last and still has plenty to learn. When he puts it all together he's potentially a very high class hurdle horse,” Dermot Weld said.

“We'll look for a winners’ of one and go from there. He was unlucky not to win in Galway. He's a big powerful horse, a very strong horse. We still have homework to do on his jumping. It was satisfactory today, but will get better.”

Tandem attained a mark of 105 on the flat. He won the valuable Nasrullah Handicap at Leopardstown in July last year.

Additional reporting by Gary Carson

About Michael Graham
Michael has worked in horse racing journalism for more than 15 years, having also written a weekly betting column on Gaelic football and hurling for a newspaper. He is involved in writing the My Racing Story features on this website. He spent a year in South Africa completing a Diploma in Business Administration and also studied Newspaper Journalism in Belfast. He enjoys playing 5-a-side football on a regular basis.