Bracken blasts rivals away in the Topaz Mile Handicap
MAKING the most of a step down in class, Brendan Bracken turned the featured Topaz Mile Handicap into a one horse race at Ballybrit on Tuesday evening – powering home by eight and a half lengths from Brog Deas.
Representing the in-form Ger Lyons stable and not unbacked at 10/1, the four-year-old was last seen at listed level in the Curragh when a close up sixth to Count of Limonade and clearly thrived on his return to handicap company.
A substantial gamble on the Dermot Weld trained Tandem never looked like paying off in the €100,000 event after the 11/4 favourite didn’t break smartly, but there were no such problems for Brendan Bracken which was given a confident ride by Colin Keane.
Kevin Manning and Beyond Thankful took it up on the approach to the home turn, but nothing was travelling easier than Brendan Bracken and once Keane let off the handbrake, his mount pulled right away up the straight with Brog Deas overhauling last year’s winner, Vastonea, on the climb to the post.
Tandem wasn’t the only Weld market leader to bite the dust on Tuesday as Pirate Cove finished unplaced in the Caulfield Industrial Maiden, leaving the finish to be fought out by the front running and 8/1 hope Sister Slew which got the verdict on the nod from Tax Reform.
Weld, however, didn’t leave the fixture empty-handed. He saddled the hottest favourite of the week so far in Tarfasha (2/5) in the Topaz Fillies Maiden and Pat Smullen’s mount had little difficulty in justifying her cramped odds by four lengths from Ballybacka Queen.
Though only five went to post for the Latin Quarter Steeplechase, there was no shortage of quality on show. Paul Nicholls sent over Woolcombe Folly from the UK, while Hidden Cyclone, taken out of Wednesday’s Galway Plate, and the Davy Russell partnered Rathlin, a convincing winner at Punchestown when last seen in May, headed the home challenge
Ruby Walsh was content to let Woolcome Folly, which has kept the best of company cross channel, stalk Hidden Cyclone and Rathlin for most of the trip and the order remained unchanged until Russell sent the 13/8 favourite into the lead at the fourth last.
Rathlin continued to jump slickly and never looked in danger of being caught, having six lengths to spare over Hidden Cyclone, which stayed on dourly up the hill and is bound to benefit from his first outing since falling behind Chicago Grey at Navan last February.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.