Going - Soft - Heavy. Fine
Jackpot Pool - €1,977.72 Not Won. Carried forward to Downpatrick on Sunday 29th March. Placepot Pool - €26,743.62 Dividend - €1,649.90 Winning Units - 11.39. Days Aggregate - €357,229.84 Last Year €227,171.05
Opalite shows a swift turn of foot in Curragh opener
I thought she’d run well, but I thought the ones with a few runs might do her for a bit of experience,. It’s great for Seamus, he bought her off us a month ago, we hoped she was a nice filly. He bought a few point-to-pointers off us before, they won a few races but didn’t work out, so it’s grand to sell him one now. I think it’s his first Flat horse. He met me at Navan in January and said he’d love to get a Flat filly, and I said ‘I have one for you’ and this is it. We like her and hopefully now she keeps going. We might look at a stakes race, something like the Polonia, although we could maybe take our time with her if we got a winners’ race somewhere. I’d say she probably is a stakes filly. She’s still a bit immature. We liked her last year at the back end, but we left her off and didn’t run her as she was a bit backward, and he said she’s still a little weak. We’ll let her tell us where we go.
Bodhi Bear strikes for Stack & Heffernan
He did that well, probably being gelded helped him. Five could be more his trip than six. We wouldn’t rule out going six again, but he showed plenty of pace there. He always seemed to be in command. We’ll try and get as much money as we can with him! Today’s race was worth a bit and wherever there is something similar, we’ll look at it.
McAteer's positive ride pays off on Rock
We actually thought he wanted a bit further, so we were going to be good and positive on him and kick for home early. . His home work was very good. I only have him a few months, but I know the horse well as I used to pre-train him and I rode him out when I was with Barry Fitzgerald. . He did it well and we’re delighted with him. He loves that ground.
Albert Einstein unplaced as Gossey lands Gladness
I wasn’t really expecting that.
Lewis Carroll wins for O'Brien & Moore
We’re delighted. Ryan liked him, he said the seven (furlongs) was no problem and he handled the ease in the ground. He disappointed us last year, we thought that he was better and maybe he was a bit weak. He was very happy with him.
Verdict goes Perry Mason's way at the Curragh
He was probably a bit too far back in the Lincoln, we were a bit disappointed, but it probably crowned him for today. We’ll probably step him up now into a better class. He might come back for the mile-and-a-quarter race here next Friday. This place is good to me, I had my first winner here as well last year. It’s a lucky place. It’s nice to have a Saturday horse, that’s the dream really, and hopefully we have one in him. I have 15 riding out and it’ll be a busy campaign. We’ll probably aim for the Galway Mile with him, he has won around there and that would be the plan.
Shaihann to head for Irish Derby trial after maiden win
He's a beautiful big horse. He had good form last year and he developed well this year. It’s nice to get a win into him. Going up in trip, I think, suits him. Obviously he’s by Night Of Thunder, so I don’t know how far they stay in general, but he’s out of a Sea The Stars mares so there is plenty of stamina on that side. We’ll maybe look at the Derby Trial in Leopardstown, and then maybe the Irish Derby if that went well. That would be plan A anyway. . You can see the size of him, he was never going to be an Epsom horse. If he was that class, you could see him pitch up here, but we’ll see.
Slatterys bookend the card with 107/1 double
He was working very well. Emmet (Mullins) had him as a two-year-old and he got injured. I have all the horses for Padraig (O’Rourke) and he decided to send him on to me,it was either that or get rid of him. . He worked very well and I fancied him, I thought he’d go close. . We don’t know what he is yet, but he’s a nice horse. He’s probably not badly handicapped, he won with a bit in hand. . He probably likes that ground because he did work on it the other day. . The owner had lost faith after having him as a two-year-old and sent him on as a last resort. We have him about four months.
