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Michael Graham

Michael Graham

Clever And Cool sluices home for Listed honours

Fri 18th Aug 2023, 17:53

Clever And Cool draws right awayClever And Cool draws right away
© Photo Healy Racing

Jim Bolger's Clever And Cool belied her 20/1 odds to rout the field in the Listed Irish Stallion Farms Irish EBF Platinum Stakes in Cork.

She missed the break over the straight seven furlongs, but it didn't inconvenience her as she soon tacked on at the rear of the field.

She made eye-catching headway for Rory Cleary outside the final couple of furlongs and went on a furlong and a half down.

Cleary soon gave her the office and she stretched away by the furlong pole.

The race was over as she sluiced up by a dominant seven and a-half lengths from 8/13 favourite Tarawa

The ground had changed to soft in Cork and Clever And Cool had notably won her maiden on soft to heavy ground over five furlong at this track on debut last September.

Ger Flynn, travelling head lad, said: “She was slowly away the last day in the Curragh and there was a false start. She dwelt a bit again today, but she handled the conditions and she’s fit and well.

“We’re just delighted for Marguerite and all the Bolger family that the filly got black type. She deserved it.

“She’s been knocking on the door in these type of races. She handles every kind of ground and won on good to firm in Naas.

“When she gets out and gets involved in a race as she did today, she’s very good.

“She ran well behind Tenebrism here earlier this year.”

Cleary added: “She won her maiden here over 5f so she likes this track. She jumped a little bit slow, but settled into a nice position.

"She got through the ground well and travelled very strong and picked up nice and smart. She's been running very consistent but was just a bit unlucky not getting the black-type, but she got it today.”

Paddy Power cut Clever And Cool from 25/1 to 14/1 for the Irish Cambridgeshire at the Curragh.

Additional reporting by Alan Magee

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.