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Michael Graham

Michael Graham

Bolger and Manning double up with 50/1 shot

Sun 19th Apr 2015, 16:23

Flight Risk, white, comes homes best in the feature at the CurraghFlight Risk, white, comes homes best in the feature at the Curragh
© Photo Healy Racing

Flight Risk may have been an unconsidered 50/1 shot for the featured Group 3 Big Bad Bob Gladness Stakes at the Curragh, but he belied those odds when scoring by a length and a quarter.

He raced on the far rail and was pushed along by Kevin Manning in rear of mid-division with over a quarter of a mile to go in this valuable seven furlong race. Inside the two pole he started to respond to pressure and was soon seen improving into third.

Manning got into the drive position and Flight Risk picked up Sruthan and Sovereign Debt as they passed the furlong pole. He kept on best from 150 yards out and was able to repel the running on Piri Wango (33/1) and Cable Bay (8/1). The latter, who took third, suffered traffic problems with two furlongs to race and was switched inside.

Jim Bolger said: "Pat O'Donovan rides him out regularly and told me the other day that he could be a Group One horse if everything fell right for him. Everything fell right today and he's on his way. Maybe this is the start of the rest of his career.

"He got bogged down in Cork and the better ground today helped. He's a much improved horse this year. Hopefully he can go on from there. I'd like to come back for the mile race on Derby weekend."

Additional reporting by Alan Magee

1st
50/1
Tote €34.70 €6.50
2nd
1.25L
33/1
€6.80
3rd
nose
8/1
€3.10
4th
2.75L
5/1
bf
0.5L
7/4Fav
About Michael Graham
Michael has worked in horse racing journalism for more than 15 years, having also written a weekly betting column on Gaelic football and hurling for a newspaper. He is involved in writing the My Racing Story features on this website. He spent a year in South Africa completing a Diploma in Business Administration and also studied Newspaper Journalism in Belfast. He enjoys playing 5-a-side football on a regular basis.