Dandy lands big prize for Marnane Dandy Boy foiled a huge gamble on Mabait in the totesport Victoria Cup at Ascot to score for Bansha trainer David Marnane. The four-year-old was given an enterprising ride by Colm O'Donoghue to take this prestigious handicap by the most slender of margins. O'Donoghue's bravery to scoot across towards the stands side, with most of the major players gunning for top honours on the opposite flank of the track, yielded a noteworthy triumph at odds of 16-1. It was heartbreak for many Ascot punters, who had cottoned on to a sizeable punt on the Kieren Fallon-ridden Mabait. The Luca Cumani 4-1 favourite won his end of the bargain on the far side, but succumbed by a neck in a tight photo-finish. Marajaa was third, while Noble Citizen filled the minor honours in fourth. O'Donoghue, usually seen riding in Britain on Aidan O'Brien's horses, said: "All credit to David, this has been the plan for a long time. "He's done it really well. He's improving and is a big horse. He improved all last year and has gone from strength to strength. "We walked the track and we were happy where we were drawn. The ground is always fabulous here and he couldn't have done it any better." He added: "I'd like to thank the boss (O'Brien) for letting me ride him as we had runners at Lingfield today." Marnane said: "He did it really well. "His comeback run at Dundalk was very good and we said then we'd come here. It worked out well. "He has plenty of speed and you could run him at six furlongs, but he does stay. He's a really nice horse. "Colm has done a lot of work with us and is a big help to the yard. "We'll see where we go but he's definitely a horse who can improve again. "We might come back for the Royal Hunt Cup, we'll see."
