Mr Percy wins at Curragh ahead of a big campaign Wayne Hassett got the gap he needed to launch Mr Percy (2/1) for home in the Race To The Ebor Handicap over a mile and six at the Curragh. The five-year-old gelding was in a pocket in third over a quarter of a-mile from home, but Hassett sat until the opening arose a furlong and a-half out. He came to challenge Jabbar (25/1) with just over a furlong to go and edged ahead racing past that marker. Jabbar, in the first-time cheekpieces, kept him more than honest all the way to the line, but Mr Percy held him by a neck. Helvic emerged with credit in third at 25/1. Joseph O'Brien said: “Wayne gave him a lovely ride. He had a nice draw, he wasn’t the quickest away but he managed to get a good spot. “He had to wait for a bit of room, but he was tough then when he got it. “He’s a smart horse, he won a Grade 2 novice hurdle in Fairyhouse and we learned a lot that day. “Cheekpieces, delivering him late, and good ground are probably the three things that suit him. “He’s won a nice pot today and hopefully it won’t be the last one of the year. “Ascot might be a bit soon. He could go to Galway and come back here for the Cesarewitch. He’s probably going to out of the weights in the Ebor. You’d love to go there but it might not be the right things to do for the horse. “We’ll chat with Simon and Isaac and Anthony (Bromley) and make a plan from there.” Additional reporting by Gary Carson
