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Lake bounces back to form

Lake Takapuna (right) and Eight Till Late jump the last togetherLake Takapuna (right) and Eight Till Late jump the last together
© Photo Healy Racing

The Robbie McNamara-trained Lake Takapuna won the day after a good duel with Eight Till Late in the closing stages of the Frank O'Beirne Memorial Handicap Chase at Sligo.

The pair fought it out turning for home in the two-mile-one contest and there was nothing between them from the last.

10/1 shot Lake Takapuna just found a bit more close home, under David Mullins, to record a hard-fought neck success.

The winner was bouncing back to form having been pulled up when last seen in action over timber at the Galway festival.

David Mullins said afterwards:- “It was great for Robbie after losing the horse (Matin D’anjou in the previous race) and he does well with the few that he has.

“He won a race at Leopardstown on St Stephen’s Day and we thought he was a good horse. I’d say he’s just a little bit tricky and he likes being ridden like that.

“I probably got there a bit soon on him but he’s battled the whole way to the line.

“Robbie Mc used to ride everyone to sleep from out the back and he gave me a text earlier saying basically do the same. It’s great that it has worked out.”

(Quotes by Alan Magee)

About Gary Carson
Gary started out as a trainee/assistant journalist with the Sporting Life newspaper and has worked in the racing industry for over 25 years. He has been with the Press Association since 2013 and won the Irish Field Nap Table in 2016. He enjoys working with horses and trained his own horse, Mamaslittlestar, to win a point-to-point in 2019.