Curragh trainer Jim Gorman experienced a wide range of emotions at Leopardstown yesterday but finished on the up with the success of Christy Senior in the Avoca Handicap.
A couple of hours earlier Gorman had saddled Mountain Shadow in the six-furlong maiden, but the filly, carrying the same Maria McKinney colours as Christy Senior, shattered a leg half way through the race and had to be put down.
However, Christy Senior ended the day on a positive note with a not unexpected success under Gordon Power, who was having his first home success since returning from a winter stint in Dubai.
The claimer managed to settle Christy Senior off a fast pace and smoothly came through to go clear of the top-weight Copernicus in the closing stages.
"He has been working so well I thought he'd win," said Gorman, who was also getting off the mark for the new season. "I'm so delighted for the owner who was in an awful state after I rang earlier and said we'd lost the filly."
That opening maiden had seen the Aidan O'Brien-trained Freud drift from 1 to 2 to odds against, and those who were tempted by the price on Giant's Causeway's brother were happy when the colt hit the front inside the final furlong.
However, Freud looked anything but keen to go through with his effort and was eventually run out of it by Turtles Reprisal.
The early evidence that some of the Ballydoyle team need a run was ignored in the mile maiden and Hawkeye was made odds on. However, he too faded and could only manage fourth to Exaltation, who was getting the John Oxx-John Murtagh team off the mark.
There is no question which trainer has hit the flat season running, however, and Kevin Prendergast saddled his third of the term when Sita proved too strong for the fancied Cool Clarity in the fillies' maiden.
"She should have won her last year but she was very badly hampered. Her dam is a half sister to Silver Patriarch, so she should get a mile and a half, but she does need ease in the ground," Prendergast said.
Courageous ran out an easy winner of the Roundwood Handicap, which allowed one Jackpot winner collect £16,232 but the disappointing 2,113 crowd did see O'Brien and Mick Kinane hit the mark in the last with El Bueno.
