Queally to guide Rainbow home

Tom Queally has unquestionably been the apprentice find of this season and the 15-year-old can further embellish his reputation…

Tom Queally has unquestionably been the apprentice find of this season and the 15-year-old can further embellish his reputation by winning on Rainbow Realm at Gowran Park today.

The Dungarvan-based youngster has already won twice on the Pat Flynn-trained filly, the last time at the Tralee festival.

But Queally's overall impact can be gauged by Flynn's comment after Rainbow Realm earned herself a 6lb weight hike by beating Northern Mill.

Asked where he had found Queally, the trainer's response was: "Where did he find me!"

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Rainbow Realm did a fair bit of tail swishing in the closing stages of the Tralee contest but Flynn commented afterwards that that is just a character trait of hers and she is completely genuine.

She will need to be to cope with a strongish field that includes the other Tralee winner Benfica and the Killarney winner Siamsa but Queally and his invaluable claim can swing it.

Mick Kinane, however, is still top of the pile in terms of Irish based jockeys and he can emphasise the point yet again today with a double.

Kinane rides the Danehill colt Hawkeye in the mile maiden and the Aidan O'Brien-trained runner is hard to get away from while Kinane's booking for the topweight Castanetta in the mile handicap looks significant.

Castanetta has a neck and three lengths to make up on On The Batter on last Saturday's Curragh running but should be suited by the extra furlong of this race and should strip fitter for a first race in almost two months.

Factice Royal has met with trouble in running in her last two races behind Lady Of Kildare at Tipperary and Georgia Peach at Naas.

She is hardly thrown in at the weights for the Nursery but with better luck should definitely figure at the business end.

MNL Lady was a 16 to 1 shot when third on her debut to Colourful Cast and the subsequent winner Shayadi at Leopardstown but there will be no price like that on view for the mile fillies maiden while Christy Roche's double bumper winner Rightontime is preferred to the 75 rated French Style in the last.

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor is the racing correspondent of The Irish Times. He also writes the Tipping Point column