Going - Standard. Overcast
Jackpot Pool - €360.62 Not Won. Carried forward to Curragh on Saturday 13th May. Placepot Pool - €22,243.44 Dividend - €49.70 Winning Units - 313.24. Days Aggregate - €131,976.74 Last Year €202,612.54
Paris gets the job done
It set up lovely for him, they couldn't go quick enough for him there. He's won four times now (for me) and placed probably 10 (times) so he's a right old horse that we claimed 12 months or so ago. He's a good bit of fun for small money. He's in on Tuesday in Killarney for a handicap.
Odds-on Clinical wins on debut
It was worth the wait. He seemed to handle the surface really well. In fairness Billy (Lee on Justice Ears) went off to a good pace, a proper pace, and Kevin (Manning) said he did it well. It's a nice way to start him. We'll just see where he fits in - a mile and a half, a mile and a quarter. He's had a few issues and has just been backward more than anything else. He always showed keeping as a four-year-old - you have to show something in our place, we don't carry hangers on! He always had ability.
Another for O'Dwyer as Trump comes good
I feel like Jessica Harrington here! I was here all winter and couldn't get one! . He was probably unlucky a few times during the winter. He got stopped a few times in his races, he got stopped and knocked down in Wolverhampton one night but half the times he is getting knocked down he's just not quick enough to go where he wants to go. Nine runners suited him and Billy (Lee) was good on him. We gave him a bit of a break there and the horses are in good form. Long may it continue. He stays and he'll go hurdling. He's a versatile little horse. He'll be a fun horse. I'm thrilled.
Ryker storms home under McCullagh
Not the biggest surprise in the world. He was a horse we liked. He had a good heave, he needed that now. He had been up here to work and he loved the surface. I was keen to get him started. He's a nice horse and has a lot of scope. He'll come on plenty for the race. I'd say he would (go on grass). He's a big, leggy horse and I thought to get him started on that surface on a nice, level track was important for him. He gave a heave half way up the straight and cleared himself. He's a big baby and we had to be patient with him.
Strauss defies top-weight for the O'Brien's
Today was a little step down in class. We went a nice gallop, he got a good run through and he put his head down when I needed him to. He seemed like he enjoyed it (surface). It's nice to get a win, hopefully he'll get another one.
Third time lucky for well-regarded Heela
I'm delighted to see him go on and do that. We have always thought a hell of a lot of him. He picked up a little issue last year which meant we had to put him away. He came from the breeze ups and hopefully we have another nice one on our hands here. We've been very lucky buying from the breeze ups. I just gave him two quick runs in succession to try and make a bit of a man of him because he didn't have the right sort of ideas about the whole thing but he seems to have learned a little bit there now. He raced far more professionally tonight and we'll take it one step at a time with him. He still has a little bit to learn. We'll try and find the next suitable race for him, if there was a conditions race for him just to step him up again and get as much experience into him as we can. He's a lovely horse. It's great to get a winner for the owner. This is nice ground up here and I think the time was quite fast. He has a bit of knee action. He would handle typical Irish ground but he wouldn't handle our current ground. I'd say he is quite versatile. Once he learns to relax he'll get a mile as well. We'll see what the handicapper does. Apart from Mick Halford's horse (Mirror Man) who I expected to improve a lot from his first run and ran very well, it was kind of an ordinary sort of contest after that. I won't get carried away myself, maybe try and find a conditions race.
Double for Kelly as Duncan quickly follows-up
He was very weak as a three-year-old and was castrated at two and was a bit of a box walker. We made a custom stable for him and changed a lot of things. I was quite confident this evening. He did it very easily on Monday. He'll probably go to Ayr on the 24th or 25th May. I'd like to give a mention to Billy Swanson who is the youngest of three brothers who are big supporters of the yard and who he runs for.
