Deep Cave wins going away

THE opening four-year-old maiden has a rich history at the Galway venue, having been won by some smart types in the past, including the three-time Gold Cup winner Best Mate, who won the race back in 1999.

This year’s edition saw eight runners face the starter and it was the strong-staying Deep Cave (3/1 – 5/1) who ran out a going away six-length winner under Aaron Murphy, who was recording his first success of the season.

The Ciaran Murphy-trained son of Court Cave was given a patient ride by Murphy before hitting the front between the final two fences, to score by six lengths at the line from the Cormac Doyle-trained Proper Twelve.

“We think that he’s a very good horse. He was probably one gallop off running but we thought that we were going to get really nice ground here so we said that we would run him,” said the winning handler of the Susan Bredin-owned winner.

“He’s smart. He’s a commercial venture so he’s probably going to have to be sold. It’s great to get a win out of him anyway.”

The adjacent maiden saw seven of the eight entries stand their ground and it produced a thrilling finish as Derek O’Connor and Didnt Ask (1/1 – 4/6 favourite) literally led on the line to deny Thomas Costello and Rolling Clouds.

The Paul Gilligan-trained winner was one of two debutants in the line-up with Gilligan reporting: “He’s a grand horse. We told Derek to leave it late but not exactly that late! You would love to have seen Thomas Costello get his first winner but we’ll take what we can get. He belongs to Paul and Christine Rabbitt, and the intention is to sell him.”

Global Assembly tears field apart

LIZ Lalor recorded her 111th success between the flags as she steered Global Assembly (7/2 – 6/1) to an impressive 14-length success in the five and six-year-old geldings’ maiden.

Ten runners set out in this contest but only two finished as the Tom Keating-trained winner tore his field apart from the fourth last, with the Mick Goff-trained Ginger Pointe the only other one to complete the three-mile course.

Keating, who also owns the winner, said: “We scoped him after Bandon and he lung-washed wrong. We just gave him antibiotics for a couple of days then and it transformed him. We always thought an awful lot of him.

“He was second to Found A Fifty at Boulta. He was third when Watch House Cross was second so he had the form. We’ll go for a bumper next if we don’t sell him.”

Four Horseman obliges

THE concluding older maiden was quickly whittled down to nine runners from the 11 that set out as two horses came down at the first. It still produced a good spectacle though, with TJ Nagle’s Four Horsemen (2/1 – 5/4 favourite) and John Barry running out two-length winners.

The well-backed favourite hit the front after the fourth last and managed to fend off three persistent challengers up the home straight, with the Nigel Slevin-trained Bowtie filling the second spot.

“It was a long drive up here so we were hoping that he would win! He did it well in the end, and he has a mark over fences so we’ll probably go back to the track with him now,” said Nagle of the Milan gelding whom he also owns.

Horse to follow

Baiser Inedit (B.O. Walsh): The slightly keen-running daughter of Diamond Boy finished a never-nearer third in the mares’ maiden on her debut. She should be well up to winning a similar maiden in the coming weeks.