Persistence Pays Off for Johnson & McCoy Tony McCoy was determined not to leave Carlisle empty-handed on Monday, after making the trip to ride a trio of Howard Johnson horses, but after Marleybow and Akilak failed to score, it was left to Cooldine Lad in the last. The Ulster man was seen at his very best on the former Andy Slattery-trained, Cooldine Lad, as the champion jockey paid a visit to the mud-splattered venue. The 7/1 chance had not appeared to be the most co-operative of individuals in the closing stages as he just got the better of Hollows Mill in the CBS Outdoor Handicap Chase. However, seeing is not always believing and Johnson's assistant Ray Hawkey said: "Tony was full of praise for the horse. He said he was beaten at the bottom of the hill, but kept finding more for him when he asked and he said he was only hanging on the run-in because he was legless. "Cooldine Lad had not completed on his last three runs, but before the race Rachel Kirtley who looks after him said to me that I ought to back him because he had improved a ton since his last run a month ago." The Flemensfirth eight-year-old took a Clonmel youngster's contest 'between the flags' on his debut in October 2004 but things obviously haven't gone to plan since. However, persistence paid off for Johnson, who now also owns Cooldine Lad, who started off in Britain in the Wylie silks. Another ex-Andy Slattery inmate, the exciting Cooldine, who landed a Templemore 'point' in November 2006, is due to be launched on his chasing career next weekend.
