SIXTEEN years old Decian McDonogh, son of Des, has struck up a successful partnership with the Patrick O'Leary trained Texas Friday and the pair may be worth supporting in this evening's Axa Equity And Law Handicap (7.00), at Downpatrick.
The young jockey gained only his third success when giving the six year old gelding a competent ride at Ballinrobe last month, running on well in the closing stages to beat Legal And Tender by two lengths, with three of today's rivals, Belvoir Belle (third), Picard, (fourth) and Back To Black (seventh), well behind.
Although Texas Friday has been beaten since, a return to the winners' enclosure is expected.
. No one was to blame for the horrific fall of Dancing Lawyer at Brighton yesterday, the local stewards ruled. Racegoers gasped as Dancing Lawyer and his rider Gabriel Hannon plunged through the rails just before the two furlong marker in the Brighton Festival Handicap.
Luckily both horse and jockey were unscathed, although Dancing Lawyer stayed down for four minutes. Afterwards 19 year old Hannon from Galway, who is apprenticed to Dancing Lawyer's trainer Brian Meehan, said. "It was nobody's fault, but my horse and I are very lucky to be uninjured."
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