Harney's Pure Granite shows his mettle at Naas Trained in Rhode Co Offaly by John Harney, Pure Granite took the TRM Calphormin - Strong Foundation, Strong Future Apprentice Handicap at Naas. Jimmy Dalton’s mount made a good start from a wide draw in the one mile-three furlong contest and was brought across to the rail before being settled behind the leaders. The Cotai Glory gelding, backed this morning and returned 11/2. didn’t have to leave the rail from that point, as Dalton got a clear passage up the inner in the straight and headed Love Orchid inside the final furlong to score by three-parts of a length. “We’re delighted with him, he’s a horse that we’ve always liked,” said Harney. “He had a few problems last year as a three-year-old, but we got them sorted. We had to hold him for the summer because of the quick ground. “The last day in Navan we expected him to run well but he got pestered on the lead and, on that ground, he just took a blow. “It was the first time all year that he got that sort of a gallop on that type of ground. “He came out of the box on Thursday morning bucking and lepping so we said we’d come here and take our chance with bottom weight. Thankfully it worked out. “The jockey was keen to get him dropped in and get a lead on him today, because we made a bit too much use of him the last day. “It was a combination of making too much use of him and the ground. He hadn’t encountered that all year, because we couldn’t get a grass gallop into him. “We thought he was better than that, so were surprised he got beaten the last day. “We saw that he had come on from the race and we were hopeful here today. “He’s a big horse, he’s nearly 16-3, and he’ll probably jump a hurdle as well. He’s an exciting horse for the future.” Additional reporting by Gary Carson
