Patience pays dividends for Coen aboard Highbury See See Sam Coen showed just why he has been one of the apprentice finds of the season when getting up close home aboard Highbury See See to win the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Apprentice Handicap at the Curragh. Held up in mid division, the Andrew Slattery trained 4/1 chance travelled strongly at the halfway point. All locked up with nowhere to go two furlongs out, Coen retained his composure and waited for the gaps to open. When they eventually did over a furlong from home, Coen came through to go third. Keeping on well inside the last 50 yards, the three-year-old headed Great Mover at the death to win by a head. Brian Slattery said: “It was a nice performance from a three-year-old to beat some hardened sprinters. “He’s very consistent and we’ve a lot of options. He is entered in the horses-in-training sale at Newmarket and we’ve a good slot in that, three-quarters through the catalogue on the first day. “That is an option and the owners will decide that. They’ve a very nice, fun horse on their hands whatever they decide to do. “He’ll go up in the handicap now. There is one race (Irish Lincoln) that comes to mind at the start of next season that could be an option for him now. We’ve been second and third in it a few years and we’d like to win it. “All these Belardos keep improving. They like a bit of juice in the ground and the older they get the better they get. “We’ve been very fond of the sire since we had Fiach McHugh that went on to win a Group 1 in Hong Kong after (as Red Lion).” Additional reporting by Gary Carson.
