Latino Magic scorches to victory

Galway report: The sun might have scorched down on Galway last night but Latino Magic provided a sound blow to the fashionistas with a resounding success in the featured McDonogh Handicap.at Ballybrit

Translating winning form between handicaps and Group races might not be unusual in the USA and many other countries, but it has always proved a notoriously difficult business closer to home.

However, Latino Magic bridged the gap with the sort of panache that saw him pick up last year's Group Three Meld Stakes, plus a Listed race in 2003, and the five-year-old full horse powered up the hill to beat Camargue by two and a half lengths with Absolute Image in third.

If the 9 to 1 winning result seemed unlikely to some, that was hardly a shocker to the team connected with Latino Magic. His Curragh trainer Robbie Osborne and jockey Robbie Burke would never claim to be among the more fashionable names at the top of racing's fickle pecking order.

Burke (34) might have won the McDonogh all of 15 years previously on the Kevin Prendergast-trained Mudaris, but even the winning of a champion apprentice title along the way couldn't stop him slowly losing ground to the very top jockeys in the early 1990s.

Burke had enough in 1996, left for Macau, and did so well there he became a champion. Yet even that sort of pedigree hasn't made life a breeze since his return and Latino Magic was just a 10th winner of the season.

"I see Robbie's jockeyship day-in, day-out and know how good he is. We're talking about a two-time champion of a great racing country like Macau. But he just isn't fashionable. The same as me: I just hope we're a bit more fashionable now," said an emotional Osborne.

It was only a fourth visit to the number one spot this flat season for Osborne, but like Burke he has come to rely on Latino Magic.

"He's a super horse. He has put us on the map, kept us on the map and judged by the way he ran today he is going to keep us on the map for a while more," smiled the trainer who took the horse to Dubai last winter.

"We were dropped 6lb by the handicapper and now that he is a big strong colt we thought he wouldn't mind the rough and tumble of this race," he said.

"It's tough for him in Group Three races when he has to race against horses preparing for Group Ones but he is all heart."

Latino Magic proved that again as he came from midfield to take full advantage of the large gap that appeared when the leader Sheer Tenby carried Charmed Forest wide in the straight.

"I just sat and followed Pat Shanahan (Absolute Image) through. I knew we had it won when I switched to the inner and there was room," said Burke.

A return to black type events in either the Royal Whip, the Desmond Stakes, or maybe even a Group Three in Norway next month, is next for Latino Magic who has now earned well over quarter of a million in prize-money.

Osborne's operation is on a different planet, however, to the Co Tipperary trainer Jim Slevin whose sole horse, Ballyhoctor, won the opening maiden hurdle under Ruby Walsh.

Slevin took out a restricted licence two years ago "for something to do in my retirement". He had worked as a farmer and delivering fish, but his horse background came in the 1960s when spending five years working for Tom Dreaper.

"It was during the good years. I schooled Flyingbolt, and rode Fort Leney, but not Arkle: you had to be special to ride him!" Slevin said after an inspired Walsh got Ballyhoctor home by three lengths.

One More Minute and Safe Route were divided by the width of the track at the finish in the conditions chase, but only a short head saw the favourite home in front.

"I glanced over and thought I'd won," grinned One More Minute's rider Paul Carberry while Charlie Swan said: "The other horse is trained by my neighbour Willie Austin but I'm not complaining!"

The Co Kilkenny trainer Pat Tallis bridged a 24-year gap with Homegrown's 8 to 1 success in the seven-furlong handicap.

"Liam Browne trained Glorino to win for me here 24 years previously so it's been a while," he said. "That's the eighth winner we've had from just two horses in the last three years."

Noel Meade is a more frequent visitor to the Ballybrit winner's enclosure and Carlesimo provided Fran Berry with the 46th winner of his season in the two-mile handicap.

But it was Jim Bolger and Kevin Manning who were in double form as Loblolly Bay consigned the favourite Happy To Chat to a fourth consecutive runner-up placing in the concluding maiden while Chennai just edged out Mrs Snaffles in the fillies maiden.

It was another record-breaking evening at Galway with second-day festival records all round. A record Tuesday attendance of 24,756 bet €1,135,233 on the Tote which compared to last year's €1,098,862.

There was also a second-day record for bookmaker turnover with €2,560,357 comparing to €2,488,571 last year. That included €445,479 on the last race alone.