RACING: Rain might have blighted day four of Listowel for some but Pescetto Lady's 20 to 1 success in the Smithwicks Handicap Hurdle made it an afternoon to remember for Andrew Leigh.
It was a first success for the 19-year-old claimer from Moone who has had fewer than 20 rides but showed a cool head to guide the Jessica Harrington-owned mare to a three-quarter length victory.
Leigh's father, Eamonn, is head man at the Harrington yard and the trainer's husband Johnny said: "He is very light but a great little rider."
Considering her SP, and a Tote price of over 74 to 1, Pescetto Lady was not particularly fancied by punters but she looked to thrive on ground that was officially changed to "soft" afterwards.
Harry The Ear was her most persistent challenger but the fastest finisher was King's Opera whose jockey, Barry Geraghty, reported: "I was never travelling and ran past tired horses."
The heavy hitters recouped any losses in the maiden hurdle as the eternally frustrating Statim finally got her head in front at odds of 8 to 11. The enigmatic filly has some high-class placed form but had defied the efforts of many professional jockeys to actually get her head in front.
It was left to amateur Denis Cullen to finally work the oracle on the filly as he forced Statim home by 2½ lengths from Shauna's Vision.
Those who backed the winner in from 6 to 4 also had to sweat on a stewards' inquiry as Statim, apparently incapable of anything straightforward, crossed the runner-up after the last.
However, no change was made which was much to the relief of the five-man Sanguine Syndicate that includes the former Irish soccer international Niall Quinn.
Jim Culloty made his own entry for the riding performance of the day award with an inspired effort on Samasakhan to win the Beginners' Chase.
Culloty's saddle started to slip on the turn-in as Samasakhan chased Prodigal Son but the Gold Cup and Grand National winning jockey still conjured a huge leap at the last to clinch success.
Culloty jumped off after pulling up and later said: "The saddle slipped one way and I got it back, then it went the other way. When I was pulling up the girths were back around the horse's arse."
The bookmakers were hit with another gamble in the three-mile handicap hurdle as Barry Geraghty's mount Bridge Hotel was backed from 9 to 2 to 2 to 1 favourite. A dream run up the inner seemed to herald another winning punt but the testing conditions started to tell and it was Anonymity's run up the outside that won out.
Michael Kinane rode his 81st winner of the season as Mikado showed the benefit of his first race to win the two-year-old maiden opener at 2 to 5.
John Oxx made the long journey south from the Curragh to watch Genny Lim win her first start of 2003 under Fran Berry in the mile maiden.
JP Magnier, the 19-year-old son of John Magnier, rode his 10th winner when guiding Oscar's Advance to success in the bumper.
Yesterday's Tote turnover of a429,835 was slightly up from last year's a420,934. But one Tote punter got it right, scooping the a22,500 jackpot. Still, the bookmaker total was down again from last year's a1,684,161 to a1,427,273.
