The first salvo in what could turn out to be a five-week blitz on the bookmakers by the legendary gambler Barney Curley hit home with a vengeance at Leopardstown last night when Mystic Ridge won the Vale View Handicap.
The English-based Curley arrived in Ireland on Monday with four horses he intends to campaign in Ireland for the next five weeks.
Mystic Ridge, backed down from 5 to 2 to 7 to 4, hadn't run since May, but under Jamie Spencer he made all the running to beat Gers Gold by a comfortable two lengths.
Mystic Ridge raced for Curley here last year and Curley also ran two horses at Galway in 1998, but with the on-course betting tax scheduled to be scrapped by the start of this year's Galway Festival, Curley has his eyes on the west.
"I have had a stone in my shoe for the last 25 years ever since I lost £100,000 at Galway. Every so often it annoys me," Curley said with characteristic panache. "Especially since £100,000 would have bought Galway city at the time!"
The three other horses Curley has brought to Ireland are Silver Town, Magic Combination and Cohiba and the trainer added: "If you run them often enough, the law of averages says they will win."
Castle Quest has been a busy filly and she got the reward for consistency by giving weight away successfully in the Listed Brownstown Stakes.
Kevin Manning's mount put two lengths between herself and the favourite Crystal Downs after which Jim Bolger said: "She did well considering half of her stall was very slow opening at the start and she was giving 6lbs. We'll try and upgrade her but she has been busy and we will give her a chance to pick up again."
Bolger and Manning completed a double when Evanilda comfortably took the 10-furlong handicap by six lengths from Sunless.
Michael Kinane returned from Newmarket to land the opening two contests with 2 to 7 favourite Plato and the 2 to 1 market leader in the mile maiden, Canaletto.
A bumper crowd of just over 10,000 attended Leopardstown last night when £235,762 was bet with the bookmakers while £122,717 was invested with the tote.
