soon chased leaders, closer order 4 out, 5th into straight, 4th before 2 out, kept on same pace under pressure from last
soon mid-division, 9th halfway, kept on same pace under pressure straight
waited with, fell 3rd
waited with towards rear, saddle slipped after 5th, pulled up before 4 out
soon chased leaders, 6th into straight, kept on same pace under pressure from before 2 out
waited with in mid-division, closer in 7th into straight, 5th before 2 out, ridden to challenge last, stayed on well run-in, just failed
soon mid-division, 8th halfway, kept on same pace under pressure straight
waited with towards rear, kept on without threatening under pressure from before 2 out
soon prominent in chasing group, closer order 4 out, 2nd into straight, gained narrow lead last, stayed on well run-in, all out
towards rear for most, never a factor, hampered 3rd, kept on same pace straight
led, headed after 2nd, remained prominent, 3rd into straight, no extra and kept on same pace from 2 out
prominent, 4th into straight, no extra and kept on same pace from before 2 out
prominent, led after 2nd, clear at stages, headed at last, no impression and kept on same pace run-in
prominent in chasing group, closer order 4 out, 7th approaching 2 out, soon no impression under pressure, kept on same pace
soon towards rear, dropped behind from 4 out
A nice prize and a tremendous entry with hardly any of the 16 runners out of contention. The classy Rattan scored by 20 lengths last time though had only three rivals to beat including Norther Bay while Run With The Wind attracted some support in the Galway Hurdle and didn't run badly. Thomas Edison was behind Run With The Wind here in July and is 7lb better off so must have a fine chance of reversing the form. Raggletagglegypsy bounced back to winning ways with an easy victory at Tramore though he could have done without a 10lb rise in the weights. Baily Green is shaping up to be a very useful chaser and can revert to hurdles on a 14lb lower mark while Rodriguez looked on the upgrade when landing a Kilbeggan maiden by 13 lenghts last month. Charles Byrnes is a master planner and the bookmakers will have taken note when DOMINATION had an outing on the Flat at Wexford last week, his first start since last year's Galway Festival. He's a lightly-raced type over hurdles with lots of promise and looks just the type for this ultra-competitive heat.
Rattan (USA) 5-6fav (11-12) Raced mainly in 3rd, travelled well to challenge and lead 2 out, clear approaching last, stayed on well, easily, won at Tramore 2m hdl hvy in Aug beating Echo Bob (11-9) by 20l, 4 ran.
Run With The Wind (IRE) 12-1 (10-4) Towards rear on outer, some headway into 10th approaching 2 out, soon no extra, 14th of 20, 38l behind Rebel Fitz (11-5) at Galway 2m hcp hdl sft in Aug.
Citizenship 10-1 (11-0) Mid-division, headway from 3 out, 5th next and ridden, 3rd entering straight, no extra before last, 6th of 25, 21l behind Snap Tie (11-9) at Punchestown 2m hcp hdl gs in Apr.
Thomas Edison (IRE) 11-10fav (11-12) Chased leaders, slight mistakes 5th and 6th, closer order after 4 out, soon 3rd, ridden before 2 out, chased winner but not getting there from before last, kept on same pace run-in, 2nd of 8, 3 1/2l behind Run With The Wind (11-9) at Killarney 2m 1f nh nov hdl in Jul.
He's Our Man (IRE) 9-2 (11-12) Chased leaders, 4th halfway, improved to lead after 2 out, ridden and narrowly headed entering straight, kept on, went right last, no extra run-in, kept on same pace, 3rd of 9, 5l behind Face Value (10-10) at Galway 2m nh nov hdl sft in Jul.
Domination 11-8fav (11-0) Raced in poor 6th, 5th and headway approaching 5 out, went 2nd before straight, ridden to challenge from before 2 out, led before last where jumped left, pressed and stayed on well run-in, won at Roscommon 2m 4f hdl in Jun '11 beating Fuschia Belle (11-3) by 1 3/4l, 9 ran.
Mart Lane (IRE) 9-2 (10-2) Chased leader, 3rd halfway, 2nd 5 out, led before 2 out, ridden and headed approaching last, no extra run-in, 6th of 15, 9l behind Carlingford Lough (10-11) at Galway 2m 6f hcp hdl sft in Aug.
Raggletagglegypsy (IRE) 8-1 (11-5) Tracked leaders, closer in 3rd halfway, headway to lead approaching 2 out, went clear before last, kept on well, won at Tramore 2m hcp hdl 8Evens23 hvy in Aug beating Obsession (10-2) by 12l, 7 ran.
Baily Green (IRE) 11-8fav (11-12) Led, jumped well, slowed pace after 5th, went on 7 out, got in a little close 5 out, joined but still travelling well approaching straight, great jump to assert 2 out, stayed on well, comfortably, won at Limerick 2m 3f nov chs gd in Jul beating Gimli's Rock (11-8) by 3l, 7 ran.
The Shepherd King (IRE) 11-4fav (11-5) Mid-division, moderate 6th approaching 3 out, no extra from before straight, pulled up injured between last 2, in a race won by Se Beag (9-10) at Gowran Park 2m 4f hcp hdl 8Evens30 sft in Mar '11, 14 ran.
Absolutlyfantastic 5-4fav (11-7) Chased leader, struggling from 4 out, kept on same pace from 2 out and dropped to 3rd closing stages, 3rd of 7, 6l behind Baily Green (11-12) at Roscommon 2m nov chs gs in Jun.
Knockcroghery (IRE) 6-1 (10-12) Mid-division early, headway into 4th halfway, improved into 2nd 3 out, ridden to narrow lead after 2 out, headed approaching last, no extra and kept on same pace, 2nd of 9, 4 1/2l behind Shadow Eile (11-11) at Galway 2m mrs hcp hdl sft in Aug.
Norther Bay (FR) 9-1 (11-5) Led before 2nd, attempted to assert from before 3 out, headed approaching next, soon dropped to 3rd and no impression, 3rd of 4, 25l behind Rattan (11-12) at Tramore 2m hdl hvy in Aug.
Rodriguez (IRE) 9-4fav (11-12) Led, edged left and headed 4th, led again 4 out, went clear after next and stayed on well, easily, won at Kilbeggan 2m 3f mdn hdl gd in Aug beating Stop Road Lad (11-4) by 13l, 10 ran.
Bessie Lou (IRE) 12-1 (10-11) Rear of mid-division, some headway approaching straight, 7th 2 out, kept on one pace without troubling leaders, 6th of 17, 9l behind Satu (10-13) at Cork 2m hcp hdl 8Evens16 gd in Apr.
Keep It Cool (IRE) 3-1 (11-11) Prominent in chasing group, lost place after 3 out, soon no impression, 8th of 13, 38l behind Khan Tengri (10-5) at Tipperary 2m hcp hdl 80-109 hvy in Jul.
