Going - Good To Firm - Firm In Places (changed to good after 5th). Showery
Jackpot Pool - €11,749.78 Dividend - €1,644.90 Winning Units - 5. Placepot Pool - €21,507.00 Dividend - €157.50 Winning Units - 95.53. Pick Six Pool - €23,628.30 Not Won. Carried forward to Tipperary on Thursday 26th June. Days Aggregate - €115,019.00 Last Year €111,571.00
Itorio makes all to take Naas opener for Lavery
Mick (Hussey) got off him last week and said he would win next time out. He's just thrived since. He lost one kilo after Leopardstown but put it back on and it hasn't taken a funk out of him. He's a lovely horse to deal with. Mick said he was a bit green in front but he was very confident of a run like that. He doesn't think that he'll have a problem with seven furlongs and said he'll come on big time from that. He's not ground dependent and has a great attitude. I'll go back and have a look at the calendar now and see what there is for him. Pat Smullen rode him work very early on and said he would win a maiden.
The future looks bright for Cougar Mountain
He's a horse we've always really liked for fast ground. We always thought he'd have no problem with five, six or seven and he might get a mile. We thought last year he was our best two-year-old and he has a chance of being a Group One horse. He was quite green. I gave him a slap down the shoulder and got there too soon so I had to stay going and pushed him out hands and heels. It's always frustrating when you have a good one at home standing in a box. He never had any major problems but when he got near a run he had little setbacks. He was coughing for a while and had a stone-bruise as a two-year-old that took him a while to get over. In the second half of last year we said we'd have him for next year and we hoped to have him out earlier than we did. I think he could be a very good horse, whether that's a sprinter or a miler I don't know.
George lands a gamble under Robinson
He was back down to a mark that he's competitive off. He's in again at the Curragh on Sunday and if he gets in he'll go again. Last year he was knocking on the door but was just a bit high. He's tough and honest and it's grand that he's back in the winner's spot. We fancied him today. I ran him in Tipperary but he doesn't quite get seven-and-a-half. He needs good to firm and I was praying on the way up here after the rain.
Carla takes the Oaks Trial at Naas
She did it nicely as expected. I thought she was impressive at Navan and she's continued to progress. The ground is vital to her as she's a long striding filly who loves top of the ground. She's been progressing since the spring and was a bit slow to come to hand. We'll look for a Group race now, that'll be the next port of call. I think that might be her trip (1m 2f) as she has a lot of pace. She has grown up and matured a lot and is enjoying her racing. When they are doing that they win.
Coakley shines on Derulo
He's a big galloper. He was hard to get fit during the year. He's 440 kilos and I'm after being quite hard on him the last couple of weeks. We did always like him but it's taken a while for the penny to drop. Hopefully he progresses and Ross said he loved that ground. Ross came to me this year and is a great lad and a great worker. He deserved his chance and he gave him a very good ride. He nicked a couple of lengths and lasted home.
First double for Murtagh in the training ranks
She's always promised. We thought the hood was a great thing for her and she ran a great race first time with it but then it maybe put her to sleep a bit. The last couple of times she's been disappointing and Niall (McCullagh) said she wouldn't have won at any trip the last day. In her work at home she shows pace so we decided to drop her in trip and try the cheek-pieces for something different. It worked today. She deserved to win and being by Galileo she's a valuable filly. That's my first double as a trainer so I'm very, very happy.
O'Brien's double up with Shell House
She ran well the last day and the step down in trip probably wasn't ideal as I think she'll get a mile-and-a-half. It would be nice to get some black-type for her.
