It may have been a nondescript evening for most of the sparse crowd at Fairyhouse yesterday but not for apprentice Neil Harris who rode the first winner of his career on the topweight Draft Of Vintage in the Garristown Handicap.
Harris (18), from Carrickfergus, Co Antrim, was having only his fourth ride but the 10lb he took off Draft Of Vintage's back proved vital as the partnership just won in a finish of heads.
The runner up Sycamore Bay was fast catching Draft Of Vintage in the last strides for his Australian jockey Shane Moses, son of Kevin Moses who rode here for Ted Curtin in the 1980s, but ultimately not fast enough.
The evening and especially this race will be easy for Stephen Craine to forget. Craine was travelling in midfield on Milad when at half way the Kevin Prendergast trained colt stumbled and unseated Craine. It looked a nasty fall but typically, Craine bounced back up and walked into the jockeys room.
Craine had earlier finished runner up in the first two races. He was on the favourite Alabama Jacks in the Ratoath Maiden but although this juvenile held every chance, he was overhauled by the Jim Bolger trained Granite inside the final furlong and went down by a length.
Shane Kelly rode his eighth of the season when giving Manoori an enterprising ride to win the Monard Handicap. Manoori set the pace in the 18 runner field but as they took the turn into the straight, Kelly kicked and stole a five length lead. Despite the best efforts of Omy Dancer the gap never looked like being fully closed and at the line it was only down to two lengths.
The starting price of 1 to 4 suggested that the Porterstown Novice Hurdle would be a saunter for Siberian Gale and so it proved. Paddy Mullins's smart six-year-old made all and passed the line hard held. "He's probably finished now for a while but chasing will be his game in time," said Mullins.
Dovaly successfully carried 12st to victory in the Baltrasna Handicap Hurdle but returned with cuts on his legs and trainer Michael O'Brien ruefully said: "It looks fairly nasty and I don't think he'll be going anywhere for a while."
Dermot Weld and Mick Kinane continued their good run when Lisieux Rose made a winning debut in the Curkeen Maiden.
Jockey Seamus Heffernan got a three-day suspension at Fairyhouse last night for striking his mount That's Your Opinion after it had been withdrawn from the sixth race. The filly had refused to enter the stalls and Heffernan was found guilty of striking her across the head after dismounting.
