Focussed and Kevin Manning in Galway© Photo Healy Racing
Kevin Manning had a winner in his mother-in-law Jackie Bolger’s colours as he guided home Focussed in the seven-furlong nursery at Galway.
Jim Bolger trained the Intense Focus colt when he made his debut at Limerick in May, but this was his fifth outing since for Brendan Duke and the first time he has got his head in front.
Focussed, in the first-time blinkers, certainly lived up to his name today as when he got on terms with the leaders turning into the home straight he responded resolutely to Manning’s drive to have half a length in hand over the closing Tom Dooley (10/1). Princess Aloof the 7/4 favourite, was another doing her best work inside the final furlong under Niall McCullagh, but she had to settle for third another half a length back.
Brendan Duke paid tribute to his former boss as he said: “Personally this means the world to me. Myself and Jim go back a long way. We first met in 1978 and he’s been really good to me in many many ways.
“It’s just fantastic to train a winner for them. I rang him on Thursday to say I was thinking of running here and he replied ‘Run him if he’ll win!’
“He might run again at Sligo on Wednesday as he’s a horse that’s not afraid of hard work.”
This was Brendan Duke’s first winner since Mister Benedictine in Kilbeggan in June 2012. He’s had 43 runners in that period.
Focussed wasn’t unbacked as he was 9/1 in the offices this morning and opened at 7s on track.
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
