Leath Na Hoibre and Kevin Manning© Photo Healy Racing
Trainer Brendan Duke was delighted to claim the Pat O'Donovan Irish Racing Excellence Nursery with Leath Na Hoibre
The race is named in honour of Jim Bolger's assistant trainer, and a long-time friend of Duke's, who recently received the award at the Irish Stud and Stable Staff Awards.
Fittingly the winner carried the colours of Jackie Bolger as he ran out a convincing length-and-three-quarter winner in the six-furlong contest.
Kevin Manning always had the well backed 15/8 favourite (4/1 this morning) to the fore and he kept on strongly in the closing stages to seal matters.
"They tell you Curragh trainers need to get winners at the Curragh but this is a really special one," said Duke.
"Myself and Pat go back a long way and are really good friends so I was under a bit of pressure.
"I texted my mentor his mark on Wednesday and he texted back 'will he win?'. I replied 'yes Jim you're safe'.
"He's a smashing little horse and has run into three high-class two-year-olds. The horse that won the maiden here yesterday (Shogun) was behind him when he was third last time.
"He's not ground dependent and handles anywhere from five to seven. He has loads of pace.
"I won this last year and I've won three with his half-brother Focussed.
"Kevin was a huge help to me. He rode him in Listowel and said to me that one day I'd have to geld him and I wouldn't hang around.
"It's not that he was unruly but it just made a difference keeping him focused.
"This means an awful lot to me personally to win this race. Pat thoroughly merited the award and is one of the huge number of people behind the front-line who gets the front-line people to where they are.
"It tells a tale that he's 35 years with JS Bolger, he has a fair temperament!"
This gave owner Jackie Bolger and jockey Kevin Manning a double as Leafy Shade won the opener.
