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Raphael scores for Prendergast & Hayes

Raphael (nearest, with sheep-skin noseband)Raphael (nearest, with sheep-skin noseband)
© Photo Healy Racing

Raphael was the third successive winning favourite in the opening races at Leopardstown today as the Kevin Prendergast trained, Chris Hayes partnered gelding was the short-head winner of the Stunning Handicap.

The Hamdan Al Maktoum owned four year old raced behind the leaders and gained a narrow lead inside the final furlong before eventually holding on to beat Pheonix Open.

Afterwards Hayes said “he’s got a lot of talent but is a little bit quirky. He’d a nice comeback run in an apprentice race in Naas. He gave a lot of weight away and the boss just said to keep it simple and thankfully it worked out.

“I probably got there sooner than ideal but it’s just the way the race played, and thank god we had a big sheepskin (noseband) on him!”

Quotes from Alan Magee

1st
11/4Fav
Tote €3.40 €1.30
2nd
shd
7/2
€1.50
3rd
3L
6/1
€1.70
4th
hd
10/1
About Tom Weekes
A lifelong racing fan, Tom began writing point to point reports in 2002 and has reported for irishracing.com since 2003, when he joined Irish Racing Services - since taken over by the Press Association. Has ridden a point to point winner and won the 2018 Irish Field Naps Table.