Coltor and Darragh O'Keeffe © Photo Healy Racing
Coltor bounced back to form to run out a convincing winner of the Toals Bookmakers Rated Hurdle at Downpatrick this afternoon.
The Dermot Weld-trained gelding was well beaten in a hot handicap contest at the Dublin Racing festival on his last outing having been pulled up at Leopardstown over Christmas.
Better was expected today as the son of Free Eagle went to post 4/1 second favourite (from 10/1) in the extended two-mile-two contest.
Darragh O'Keeffe let his mount hit the front over the second last and he galloped on strongly in the closing stages to post a three-and-a-quarter length success over Clondaw Hollow
O'Keeffe said afterwards: "He enjoyed himself. He's a horse that won the big amateur handicap in Galway so if he turned up in the same spirit, he was going to be hard to beat. He was also fifth in a Fred Winter.
"A smaller field as well probably suited him more.
"I'm delighted to ride a winner for Mr Weld, he thought he would run a big race."
(Quotes by Michael Graham)
