Roche takes the honours

CHRISTY ROCHE and Kevin Manning are locked together at the head of the riders table after yesterday's action at Listowel, where Roche recorded a double.

Roche, who is bidding to become champion for the seventh time this year, was seen at his strongest aboard Crest Of The Wave in the opening Feale Maiden.

The Caerleon colt, who needed to be rousted along from halfway to hold his position at the head of affairs, drew right away in the closing stages to beat Lunasa by five and a half lengths.

Roche completed his double when getting Bajan Queen up virtually on the line to edge out Miss Toffee Nose in a blanket finish to the Maurice McCarthy Memorial Handicap.

Manning joined Roche on the nine-winner mark for the season when Machalini overturned Lincoln running with Line Dancer in the John J Galvin Race.

Edward O'Grady plans to send Reasilvia back hurdling in a valuable handicap at the Killarney Festival next month after the Supreme Leader mare followed up her recent Ballinrobe win with another success in the Jackie and Gene Handicap.

Meanwhile, the main talking point on Saturday at the Co Kerry venue was the slip up by the judge, Brendan Sheridan, in calling the wrong result after a close finish to the Kerry Spring Water Maiden Hurdle.

Parsee was announced the winner after a photo-finish with the Sheena Collins-trained Double Colour, and she also survived a stewards inquiry into possible interference with the same rival at the second last.

However, the original verdict was due to a mix-up between the judge and the public announcer, and not because of any difficulty in separating the two principals. The photo-finish print is quite clearcut. and the placings were subsequently amended in Double Colour's favour.