A Midsummer Nights Dream
Sat 15 Jun 2024
Winner 40 of 2024: OUTRUN THE STORM, trained by Richard Fahey and ridden by Mr Eireann Cagney : The 'Friday Social Amateur Jockey’s Handicap' over 7f at Chester.
It was his first time at Chester, but Outrun the Storm did not need any introduction, and made his debut at this beautiful venue a winning one. He broke well, was quick into stride and very much took advantage of his low draw for the lead. He faced challenges over 1f out, but saw those off gamely and stayed on to win by a head.
Watch the full race replay here: https://www.attheraces.com/atrplayer-popout/VOD/1442356
Timeform rated it as a good 84 perfomance, saying: "Proved as good as ever, never headed after putting his advantageous draw to good use to bag the lead on the inner rail, soon led, shaken up under 2f out, kept on, just held on."
Here he is returning to the winners enclosure:
Jockey Eireann Cagney said post race: “A very big thank you to all the owners! He broke exceptionally today, and I managed to dictate from the front. Even though I could hear them closing in on me, they couldn’t quite get near us. A big well done to the horse, he is incredible tough and fought all the way to the line.”
See the official photos here: http://www.sdphotos.co.uk
Syndicate manager Tom says: "Great to see him do Outrun the Storm things. We suspected that Chester would be a track that suits him and he very much proved us right. I thought Eireann gave him a great ride, steadied it down at the right time and kicked on up the home straight. He possesses a fantastic attitude and is very much a credit to himself, a credit to the yard, and to all his owners. Very well done!!"
Winner 41 of 2024: CLARENDON HOUSE, trained by Robert Cowell, ridden by Colin Keane: The LISTED ‘Irish Stallion Farms EBF Midsummer Sprint Stakes’ over 5f at Cork.
What a performance from Clarendon House to secure the 9th win of his career. Only ten days after his little “faux pas” at Epsom, our 6-year-old superstar was back to his best and blitzed his rivals on the other side of the Irish Sea.
He broke well and was able to get a lead in the centre of the track, before taking over from his rivals and going clear within the final furlong. A very smooth victory, with jockey Colin Keane never having to ask too many questions, taking the race by a very comfortable 2 ¾ lengths.
“Inside the furlong, Clarendon House is a couple of lengths clear.” Watch the full race replay here: https://www.racingtv.com/watch/replays/14-jun-2024/cork/1833
Timeform rated it as a strong 118 performance, saying: "Back on his best behaviour after blotting his copy book at Epsom last time, bounced back to best to make the most of a good opportunity at this level. Soon led, shaken up over 1f out, driven out.”
A very delighted Colin Keane said in his Racing TV interview: “It all went smooth, he jumped well, travelled strongly – the rest of the field didn’t really go fast enough for him. At the final furlong pole, I asked him to quicken which he did nicely and it was all hands and heels from there. He was just a level above the rest”
Please find below what a thrilled Robert Cowell had to say:
"Clarendon House was superb yesterday in Ireland. He powered away from the gates and was quick into stride much more like his normal self. Colin gave him a tap down the shoulder to put the race to bed which he did in emphatic style. The performance was visually impressive clocking a good time having been eased down. It's a great relief to be back where we left off after York and there is no doubt in my mind that he is as good as ever. The jockey was full of praise saying quite simply that he was far too good for the opposition. He was fine this morning and arrives back later this afternoon and as the dust settles we will formulate a plan for his next start."
Many thanks to Cork Racecourse and Pat Healy, you can see the full gallery, here: https://healyracing.ie/product-category/racecourses/cork/14-6-24-cork/page/4/