Inside Track: Grann’s Boy brings up double for trainer Rogers
Inside Track with Joe Carroll
Two of this country and England’s biggest race meetings fall on the same week. While Goodwood is a feast of Flat racing, Galway has a mixed bag, catering for hurdlers and steeplechasers, as well as Flat runners.
This year’s renewals were staged last week and once again the O’Briens, Aidan and Joseph, were dominant in England, turning out seven winners between them.
This time, however, it was Joseph who won the father and son tussle, his four winners giving him the trainers’ title. Quite obviously, he was taking everything in as his record-breaking father was establishing himself as the world’s leading trainer.
The Galway meeting runs for seven days, Monday to Sunday, and as such is a test of stamina, more than anything else, for those who make the annual pilgrimage. It pays to have a good roll, or a flexible card.
Racegoers from around these parts who keep an eye out for a local runner might have copped a big-priced winner in Saturday’s feature.
Grann’s Boy is trained just outside Ardee by Harry Rogers, and although among the outsiders, getting a starting price of 18/1, the Seán Flanagan-ridden gelding came home a very handy winner, giving his syndicate owners a lovely €64,790 prize.
Victory would have brought back good memories for Rogers. He was a leading jockey before transferring to the training ranks, and one of his biggest winners was Cairnross, successful in the same race as Grann’s Boy. Quite a nice trainer/jockey achievement, possibly unique.
The Rogers stable is in good form, and it could pay to follow its runners.