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The Little Yank has the gears to overcome traffic

The Little Yank (near side) beats Celine SopranoThe Little Yank (near side) beats Celine Soprano
© Photo Healy Racing

The Little Yank (6/4 fav) followed up his Tipperary win by doing well to overcome trouble in running before taking the Matchbook Betting Podcast (Pro-Am) INH Flat Race for in the hands of Liam Quinlan.

In a race run a very steady pace, it inevitably turned into a three furlong sprint in the home straight and the winner was stuck behind the leaders with no gap forthcoming as Fortune Street on his outer shut the door several times, and Four Country Roads (eventual fourth) on his inner edged left causing a further shortage of racing room.

Finally getting daylight on the stands’ side with a furlong to race, the Westerner gelding quickened up smartly from fourth place to get on top close home, defeating Celine Soprano (7/1) and Fortune Street (12/1) by half a length and a length. The riders of the the third and fourth horses, Kevin Brogan and Conor McNamara, both incurred three-day suspensions for careless riding at the subsequent Stewards' Enquiry.

"He was lucky he wasn't brought down and he'd have won easily, said winning trainer John Ryan.

"He (Liam Quinlan) said another horse came straight across him.

"The way he was hampered he was very lucky he wasn't brought down and it is seldom a horse is blocked and will pick up again. In fairness Liam didn't panic and gave him a good ride.

"We ran him back quick in a bumper to see would we go the bumper route and we'll now either run him in a Listed bumper or a maiden hurdle. He has loads of foot and only for his speed he wouldn't have gotten out of trouble today.

"He loves soft ground, the softer the better and is not ground dependant in any circumstance. He is out of Presenting mare who was out of a Supreme Leader mare so isn't ground dependant."

Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes

About Mark Nunan
Mark has followed racing since he was a teenager and worked for many years as a broadcaster with the Irish version of Racecall. He joined the Press Association in 2019 and is also a contributor to the Racing Post. A native of Kildare, he now lives in Sligo.