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Gary Carson

Gary Carson

Strong support for Pakens is rewarded

Sun 19th Jan 2020, 14:40

Pakens Rock and Oakley Brown jump the last Pakens Rock and Oakley Brown jump the last
© Photo Healy Racing

The market spoke loudly in favour of Pakens Rock this morning and that confidence proved well founded as he ran out a convincing winner of the Matty Ryan Memorial Handicap Hurdle at Thurles.

Barry Murphy 's charge was backed from 12/1 into 3/1 before racing and eventually went to post a 4/1 shot for the race, run just shy of two miles.

He chased leader Accidental Rebel for most of the contest before hitting the front on the home-bend, under Oakley Brown. Polished Steel threw down a challenge from the back of the second last but Pakens Rock found plenty in the closing stages to post a two-and-three-quarter length success.

The winner was making his first start since pulling up in a valuable event at Fairyhouse at the start of last month.

"Things didn't go right for him the last day at Fairyhouse; it was a highly competitive handicap and we let him freshen up a bit and changed the training routine at home,” said Murphy.

"We thought we were in with a good squeeze today and he came and he produced again.

"We are caught in a hard place; we're not on the bottom and we're not in at the top so we have to pick our races. I thought if ever I had a chance in a big handicap it was the last day and that's why I went for a big handicap first.

"He may go up for winning today so he'll be giving that weight away in a big handicap again.

"He is tough and I think he'll probably get three miles and I honestly believe he'll win on the flat.

"Andrew Flattery rides him out every day, no one else sits on his back and I great feedback from Andrew.

"I'm very lucky - I have four horses and five different people to ride out!"

(Quotes by Tom Weekes)

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.