So Majestic and Leigh Roche© Photo Healy Racing
So Majestic (4/1f) sent rookie trainer Katie McGivern off on her honeymoon in style today with a second success in five days, in Naas' VEI Global Supporting Kildare Chamber Handicap.
By leading stallion Siyouni, So Majestic got sales-consignor McGivern off the mark as a trainer when winning by a length-and-a-quarter at Down Royal on Friday, and today carried a 7lb penalty and scored by that same margin - beating 22 rivals.
McGivern, daughter of jockeys late Tommy McGivern and Joanna Morgan, said “she had to win today to see what route we'd go down and I'm actually going off on my honeymoon for two weeks so she'll have a two-week break!
“When I get back I'll line something up again - she'd go on firm ground but she'll go on softer as well, her preference though would be this ground.”
She added “we always thought an awful lot of her and she was heavily back the first day (last March) but ran with the choke out and held her breath. Chris (Hayes) rides all her work at home and got on her the next day and she did the same so we were both very disappointed.
“We decided to drop her back to five (furlongs) to teach her how to breathe and how to run a race. She had been a breeze-up horse in my yard and obviously learned to only do two furlongs but the penny is after dropping and she's coming together.
“He (Leigh Roche, winning jockey) had no cover today and I thought we'd be in bother getting the five-and-a-half here but she didn't.”
Quotes from Gary Carson
