THATS LOGIC benefited from substantial overnight rain to land the featured Heineken handicap as the Killarney four day Festival meeting continued yesterday evening. The Co Kerry track had saved some fresh ground for the final two days of the meeting. But the original description of the ground as good to yielding was changed to yielding to soft after the first race.
This was certainly in favour of Thats Logic, who hacked up in a Sligo maiden last month when the ground was heavy. The Donie Hassett trained gelding was patiently ridden by Pat Shanahan and showed a smart turn of foot inside the final furlong to flash past Rithab in the final 50 yards for a length win.
Gerry O'Leary, who has 10 horses in training on the Curragh, recorded his first winner when Mofasa landed a touch in the Waterford Glass Maiden. The Shardari gelding, backed from 8/1 to 5/1, made all the running under Niall McCullagh, and kept on strongly from the distance to beat Fontaine Lodge by five lengths.
The odds on favourite Noukari found little under pressure in the straight, and champion Johnny Murtagh was given a two day ban (May 21st-22nd) for excessive and unnecessary use of the whip.
Kevin Manning moved on to the 13 winner mark for the season when Beach Project battled gamely close home to beat the odds on Le Ciel by half a length in the Vincent Giltinan Handicap. The Project Manager colt, who carries the colours of former Wexford hurler Dave Bernie, defied a 5lb penalty for winning at Tipperary last Thursday.
The Grey Mare and Miracle Me landed the opening two hurdle races, and both are scheduled to meet in the handicap on today's card.
Jimmy Mangan saddled his third winner in the last five days when Miracle Me drew clear from two out to beat Phareign in the Hotel Dunloe Castle Handicap Hurdle, while the The Grey Mare provided amateur rider Peter Fahey with the third success in the EBF Mares Maiden Hurdle.
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