Ragglepuss shrugs off Swan challenge

RAGGLEPUSS completed her third win this year and her first over timber when coming home the easy winner of the Ben Bulb in Handicap Hurdle at a rain lashed Sligo last evening.

Providing amateur rider Tom Gibney with his first winning ride over hurdles, the Orchestra mare kept up the relentless gallop in the very testing ground to comfortably shrug off the challenge of the favourite, Mr Cavallo and Charlie Swan.

On dismounting, Swan looked distressed and limped into the weighingroom after injuring his foot when he collided with the running rail at the finishing post with a circuit to race. The eight times champion, who had a nasty gash on his right foot, explained: "David Casey's horse (Rusheen Bay) hit the rail and it deflected back out on me against my foot. I don't think it made any difference to my chance and it was only when I pulled up that I felt the pain.

Swan stood himself down from a spare ride on Sam Vaughan later in the evening, vacated earlier by Ken Whelan after he suffered a fractured rib when his mount, Kidstuff, slipped up in the early stages of the opener won by the Pat Kelly-trained Spleodrach, which provided, Tom Treacy with his fifth success this season.

David Casey later capitalised on the Eugene O'Sullivan-trained Sam Vaughan when the partnership stayed on in the driving rain to hold the renewed challenge of Greek Magic in the Martin Reilly Mitsubishi Motors Connaught National.

After cruising to lead before the final fence, the well supported 9 to 2 chance tired suddenly out in front but thankfully for supporters the line came in time to land the spoils.

O'Sullivan has the Kerry National at Listowel in mind and added: "I will keep him going over the summer but he's a horse who is best on soft ground."

Dual purpose handler, David Wachman, a former assistant to Michael Hourigan who is quickly establishing a reputation in the training ranks, saddled his second juvenile winner this season when Bombay Mix, carrying the colours of his uncle, Nick Wachman, made all under an enterprising ride from Niall McCullagh.

Colm O'Donoghue (16), who hails from Limerick, recorded his first success under rules when just holding on to land the Beltra Maiden on the Aidan O'Brien-trained My-Lorraine from the fast finishing, Derringer.