'Die-hard' racing syndicate on the mark at Killarney Trainer Richard O’Brien ended a lean spell with Spanish Temptress’ (13/8f) success at Killarney today, landing the Irish Examiner Handicap under champion jockey Colin Keane. Runner-up to today’s rival Oiche Rua at Limerick on Saturday, Spanish Temptress travelled strongly through today’s race and, on 7lb better terms, reversed form when beating that rival into third-place, with Jasmine Affanalis finishing second. Ballingarry, Co Limerick-based O’Brien, whose neighbour Gillian Scott won the earlier race, revealed “I was a little dubious about today’s longer test on that ground, so I said to the boys this morning that we shouldn’t run, but they said ‘no, forget it you’re running’! “I was saying recently that this (Phoenix Rising) syndicate is like a focus group which HRI should look at, as they are die-hard fans. They go to the sales, Chester, Galway, Guineas, Derby, the National, the stallion trail and they are really really into it. They are a fantastic group who went to the sales with Ross Doyle and picked this filly out (for €42,000). “They are Dublin-centred except for one chap Victor Sheehan, from nearby Camp.” Regarding his own run of form and his first success since last year's Galway festival, he added “it has been going on a while but this filly is an example of one of mine who is now rolling. Someone asked me recently were my horses sick but they aren’t, and have been perfectly healthy. We just don’t have many horses. “This syndicate is the backbone of what we should be focussing and this filly is now a candidate for Galway.”
