Walsh team strike form

Ted Walsh's end-of-term critique on this season's two-yearold crop should be especially interesting for RTE viewers today as his own juvenile string is a winning one.

Mind you, that string solely consists of Andy Dufresne, but he looked a colt with a future on Saturday when battling admirably to win the Laidlaw Maiden and set himself up for a tilt at the Listed Eyrefield Stakes back at Leopardstown on the last day of the season.

Named after the central character in the Hollywood blockbuster, The Shawshank Redemption, Andy Dufresne showed the appropriate sort of tenacity for his name to overcome a wide run and beat the favourite, Desert Fox, by a neck.

"I think he's a fair horse now and after his first run I turned down a few offers. He's my only two-year-old and he's a big colt, almost 16.2 hands high, he gets the trip well and he battles," said Walsh, who paid 20,000 gns for Andy Dufresne at last year's Newmarket October Sales.

A black type victory on November 9th could make it look like small change. However, Andy Dufresne will have to beat Chenille to do that, as the Pat Flynn-trained filly won the Premier Nursery in an even tighter finish. Mazurka looked to have the race won but Chenille saved favourite backers by putting her head in front just on the line.

Flynn's Ger's Royale was a warm favourite for the slowly-run Crofton Race but weakened quickly in the straight. On the turn in, Christy Roche secured a dream run up the rail for Sweet Mazarine when Jet Lock ran wide, and the race was as good as over.

Graduated has become something of a course specialist and brought his Leopardstown win total to five when scooting five lengths clear of Ridiyara in what had a looked a competitive JRA Handicap.