Ducks off the mark for Dooly The Ducks Walk opened his track account when claiming the second division of the 0-100 handicap hurdle at Gowran Park, for trainer Noel Dooly. Richie Condon produced the 7/1 shot to lead over the second last in the two-and-a-half mile contest. He was pressed briefly by Talas Kera after a mistake at the final flight but found plenty late on to record a three-length win. Dooly said afterwards:- “I thought he’d win on his handicap debut at Kilbeggan and Richie just got sandwiched in between two horses going down to the last. “Then we went to Tramore and it was a bit short for him, he was running on at the finish. “The last day everything went wrong, going left-handed around Wexford. “I fancied him today and he put it right. “Richie said he thought he was in for a bit of a bollocking down the back as I had said to him ‘don’t be any worse than mid-division as they are all winning from the front’. “Down the back he was last and I’d say he knew he was in for it when he came in! “It worked out well. They probably went quick enough in front as they dropped back. Maybe after the earlier races everyone had the same thought, they wanted to be handy. “It probably set up for him then, he was dead last the whole way until across the top. “He won a point-to-point so he’s well able to jump fences. “He actually probably jumps a fence better than hurdles but we had him handicapped and he was ready to go so we said we’d keep at it until he wins. “He’ll probably go over fences now. Whether he’d handle bottomless ground, I don’t know, but we might have this for another month or two.”
