Catherine Gannon continued her relentless charge towards the apprentice championship with a battling aboard Lady Prague in the Daily Mirror Handicap at Down Roayl yesterday. This was Gannon's sixth winner of the season for Eddie Lynam and her third victory on Lady Prague. The 11/2 chance showed great courage in the closing stages to hold off the late charge of Banutan by a head.
'She did it well today as I thought she was up against it at the weights. She''ll go to Galway for a fillies handicap provided the ground is good, summer ground. Cathy is riding out of her skin and I think she might nearly win the apprentice championship,' said Lynam.
Mister Marmaduke has been advertising the benefits of a gelding operation over the last week and Jeremy Harley's charge recorded his second win in that period with a comfortable victory in the two-year-old conditions race. Robbie Burke, who had been in great from since returning from Macau, switched his mount off the rail with a furlong to run and the 7/2 chance raced by Blue Crush for a length success.
''I thought quite a bit of him early on but he became a bit of a monkey. The gelding operations has worked well and I'm delighted to win for his owners who have been great supporters of mine. Robbie was apprenticed to me before he went to Macau,'' said Harley.
Another jockey to enjoy a fine afternoon in the saddle was Pat Shanahan, and he recorded the first leg of a double when Markova ran out a game winner of the Ladies Day Fillies Maiden. The 3/1 joint favourite, who was having her first run of the season, joined issue with Luggala over a furlong out and battled on well in the closing stages for a three-parts of a length success.
''She did it well and battled on very well. She was still a bit green and may get further,'' commented the winning jockey.
The veteran jockey went on to complete a double in the Beechlawn Motors Handicap when Buttons Galore cut down Tubbertown Rose in the final stride for a thrilling short head victory. Caroline Hutchinson's charge looked beaten as the field approached the final furlong but she produuced a tremendous late surge to get up on the line.
'She's quite versatile and seems to have more of a turn of foot nowadays. We'll give her a little rest and find something similar in a few weeks,' said Caroline Hutchinson, who has a 100% record with her flat runners at this track.
The Michael-Halford-trained Barbaresque gained a deserved success in the Winning Post Cafi Maiden, where the Green Desert filly eased to a two-and-a-half length success over Speech Room. The 9/4 favourite tracked the leaders to the final furlong and Tadgh O'Shea's mount quickened away in pleasing fashion.
''She seems to be getting better with every run and was enetitled to win on her form,'' said the Curragh trainer.
Elsewhere, the John Oxx-trained Serjeant At Arms caused an 8/1 surprise in the Summer Handicap when proving two-and-a-half-lengths too good for the favourite Berengarius. Jamie Moriarty's mount looked beaten after being headed two furlongs out but the Bluebird gelding battled back well in the closing stages to give his jockey the seventh winner of his career.
