Venetian Star keeps Harnett's championship hopes alive The market principals were certainly to the fore in the seven-furlong Dine At Gowran Park Handicap with the locally-trained Venetian Star running out a game winner. Success on the Pat Foley-trained 4/1 joint-favourite moved Paddy Harnett on to the 22-winner mark for the season, leaving him four behind apprentice championship leader Sam Coen, and one behind Reece Holohan, currently sitting in second place. Venetian Star held off the late surge of his fellow joint-favourite Sunrise Angel by half a length with 5/1 chance Cisterna three and three-parts of a length away in third spot. Both the second and third are trained by Andy Slattery. Foley commented, “He has been a very frustrating horse. There were a couple of times we were sure we had the race sewn up but he always managed to get caught on the line or something. It's not that he's ungenuine but he probably barely just gets seven(furlongs). “When you go back to six the horse just doesn't seem to enjoy it. To me he's a proper six-furlong horse but it doesn't seem to suit him. All we can do is keep him at seven now. “Paddy (Harnett) got the fractions spot on there today. He doesn't have to be in front but he travels so well it's kind of hard to get him to settle. I said to Paddy to try take a pull coming down the hill and fill him up to come with one run. “I'm delighted for the Brannigan family; Tony, Aileen and their son Luke. They gave me the horse at the start of the season and I'm delighted to have him. There might be a race for Galway in him. “He likes the soft ground. We'll see what the handicapper does and if that worked out for him, he'll probably go to Galway."
