David Wachman yesterday outlined an international Grade One plan for his star filly Luas Line but more than kept the home fires burning by sending Border Cat to Listowel to pick up the €50,000 Nursery.
Intermittent rain at times appeared to be toying with some running plans at the festival but a ground change from the morning's "good to firm" to "yielding" by the start of the feature was right up Border Cat's street.
Wayne Lordan's mount travelled beautifully throughout to beat Camisado by a length and a half and leave a disappointing last run at the Curragh well behind him.
"The ground helped him. He was sore after he ran on fast ground at Gowran and after that he wouldn't let himself down at the Curragh where he disappointed us," said Wachman.
Lordan, who was hitting the 33-winner mark for the season, agreed and reported of the 43 to 1 Tote winner: "He jumped, travelled really well and won it easy enough in the end."
The stewards inquired into an apparent improvement in form from Border Cat and Wachman's explanation, when contacted by phone, was accepted.
Luas Line was the second top-flight winner of Wachman's short career to date when she won Belmont Park's Garden City Handicap a couple of weeks ago and she faces another trip to the USA next month. "It looks like we will go to Keeneland on October 15th (Queen Elizabeth II Cup). It might be an easier option than the Breeders' Cup," said the Co Tipperary-based trainer.
Wachman is a veteran of the training game compared to Barry Potts but in All-Ireland final week, the Strabane, Co Tyrone-based handler ventured to Kerry and collected in the handicap hurdle with the topweight Dream Castle. It took Potts six and a half hours to make the journey from the North but a first winner in Ireland will have made last night's journey back feel much shorter.
Potts, a former amateur rider with Enda Bolger, only took out a licence last February and Dream Castle had contributed twice already to a three-winner tally in Britain before yesterday's home breakthrough.
"It only takes me four hours to get to Cartmel," explained Potts who has just eight horses in his care.
"But it's nice to beat Kerry before next Sunday!" It was also a very big day for Dream Castle's rider Paddy Merrigan who celebrated his 19th birthday with a first winner in Ireland on his very first ride here.
"I had 10 winners when I rode for Heather Dalton in England but this is my first ride in Ireland," said Merrigan who is originally from Athlone.
Man About Town's defection from the Beginners Chase looked to give the 4 to 7 favourite Davenport Milenium a perfect chance to win over fences.
Yet again, however, he proved a costly failure and could only mange third behind the all-the-way winner Waltons Mountain. "I know he's run 16 or 17 times but he has had a genuine excuse every time. Hopefully now he can go on," said the winner's trainer Tony Mullins.
Another all-the-way winner was Nerys who provided Michael Halford with a career best 45th winner of the flat season in the fillies maiden.
Mallow-born apprentice Elizabeth Sheehan had her fourth success on Ucanstep in the first six-furlong handicap. The 23-year-old rider is the only jockey to win on the five-year-old.
Betting figures
After a slow start on Sunday, yesterday's betting figures were up with a Tote turnover of a164,560 comparing to a 2004 figure of a157,921. Bookmaker turnover rose over a100,000 from last year to a105,576. The biggest betting race was the Beginners Chase which generated a138,492. No crowd figure was available.
TV DETAILS: The last six races of today's meeting will be screened live on TG4.
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