Thorne doubles up with Les Stephen Thorne secured a quick double for owners Shamrock Thoroughbreds when Sir Les Patterson ran out a convincing winner of the featured six furlong handicap at Dundalk today. There was plenty of pace on in the €22,000 contest and Jack Kearney held his mount up early before coming to challenge a furlong-and-a-half from home. The 5/2 shot hit the front over a furlong out and soon asserted, going on to record a cosy four length success over Dark Ace. It was his first success since joining Thorne in the summer and a fourth career victory. Thorne said: "Lot of nice horses in there. "We bought him in July, we took our time, and he ran a lovely race in the Bold Lad Sprint (third). We thought he would be a lovely fresh horse for the system. We paid a lot of money for him, we defied a lot of Middle Eastern money in the ring for him. "Since the moment he came in, he showed us strong work and I'm hoping that this horse will hopefully develop into a little bit more than a premier handicapper next year. Time will tell. "He has done that very nicely. All his wins have come on the all-weather, but he does have a split mark so hopefully next summer we will put a ring around something like the Scurry Handicap or the Bold Lad. "We'll probably be heading for Newcastle now on Good Friday. I think we need one more run and we'll plot something there in February time with a view to getting him there fresh. He won't be seen much over the winter here. "He's a top of the ground horse. We ran him on soft ground in the Joe McGrath (Curragh) and it was a big mistake. He's a horse that does bend his knee a little bit, but he definitely appreciates top of the ground. "Hopefully, he is a nice horse to look forward to. Nice bunch of lads involved in him." (Quotes by Michael Graham)
