Catwilldo (No.6) and Gary Phillips land the sprint handicap at Dundalk© Photo Healy Racing
Gary Phillips got a new association with the Garvan Donnelly yard off to the best possible start when Catwilldo got up in the closing stages to land the sprint handicap.
Three horses were locked together with about 100 yards to go but it was the daughter of One Cool Cat which proved the stronger to get off the mark on her fifteenth attempt.
The easy-to-back 9/1 chance beat Strategic Heights by half a length, with Times In Anatefka the same distance further back in third.
Donnelly said, “Gary has signed up with us as an apprentice and that’s his first winner since signing on. He gave her a great ride and is great value for his 7lb.
“She gets called a lot of names, and every time she runs I get texts like WillCatDo and CanCatDo. But it was CatDidDo today! She’s been very consistent. She may be a bit limited but is genuine.
“We waited for this race and gave her three weeks rest to freshen up. I always thought the drop back to five furlongs would suit her.”
Additional reporting by Gary Carson
