Curragh trainer Jim Gorman landed his second prestigious handicap of the season when Cobourg Lodge won yesterday's £25,000 Derrinstown Birdcatcher Nursery at Naas.
Gorman isn't one of the more frequent headline grabbers compared to the bigger Curragh battalions but he picked up the Ulster Harp Derby in July with Dragon Triumph and Cobourg Lodge emphasised yet again yesterday that big isn't necessarily better.
The colt won the first race of this season back in March and in six subsequent starts has been model of consistency.
"We bought him for only £5,000," smiled the popular Gorman. "We bought Slightly Swift at the same time and I remember being worried that because they were so cheap, they might turn out to be useless. The late Jack Doyle told me not to be stupid. He told me `They don't know what they cost and you can't train paper!"
Cobourg Lodge is worth a lot more now as, after challenging Wish List on the favoured stands side, he ran on really well to win by a neck with Taisho back in third. It was a third Birdcatcher success for rider Kevin Manning after Wild Bluebell (1994) and Mosconi (1996.)
"I'd say that's it for the year but Dragon Triumph will go for the St Simon Stakes at Newbury and if Cobourg Lodge is bouncing he might go for another race on that card," Gorman added.
A shock 25 to 1 win for Mister Chippy in the Coughlan Handicap Hurdle (the winner paid almost 90 to 1 on the Tote) put paid to many jackpot punters but with over £23,000 in the pot, one survivor was on the favourite Kitza in the Retza and Garnet Stakes.
Unfortunately Kitza could only manage fifth behind the 14 to 1 winner Charita. The Swiss owned filly overhauled Heed My Warning inside the distance to win for Liam Browne and Jamie Spencer. "The most important thing is the black type and we might go for more in either the Knockaire or the Trigo Stakes," said Browne.
Mister Chippy's was the narrowest victory of the day with just a short head between him and Southern Man. Winning rider Neil Mulholland received a five day ban for using his whip with excessive force and frequency while the runner up's rider Kieran Gaule got three days for using his stick with excessive frequency.
The stewards accepted permit holder Seamus O'Farrell's explanation of first time blinkers for Mister Chippy's improved form although in their preview of the race, "Turform's" comment on Mister Chippy was that he is "blinkered occasionally."
Aidan O'Brien was out of luck with Coliseum in France but had the first two winners here as the classy Boromini won the opener in a canter and Danzarina beat Taisce and Knockanure in the fillies maiden.
John Murtagh was on Boromini and also on Afarad who took the Paddy Power Handicap and brought Murtagh's seasonal total to 85. Both horses raced wide which seemed to be an advantage throughout the day.
"John said Afarad drifted and he let him drift. Traditionally they used to like coming up on the outside when there was a cut in the ground," said John Oxx who thinks Afarad may be better than a handicapper. "He's pretty good and the Blandford Stakes is a possibility. At one stage we thought he could be an Irish Derby horse but things didn't work out for him."
