Reidy trained Rangers Quest clocks career best

THE early races at Tralee on Saturday night had to battle for attention with the televised coverage of the Munster football final, ridiculously one-sided as that final was, but full attention was focused on the later races and there was to be no mistaking the star of the show, which was the winner of the seventh race, Rangers Quest.

This April ’16 son of Droopys Jet and Seans Ranger, which Ger Reidy trains in Ballyheigue for a Warwickshire owner, clocked a quite brilliant career best 28.56 for the standard trip (A0/ A1 class) in beating the locally-owned Lassa Exquisite by a length.

It was a significant improvement of 29 spots on the 28.85 which Rangers Quest recorded when running Ashwood Barry to half a length a week previously and, as it turned out, he needed to be motoring that well to beat a very gamey opponent.

Once again Patsy Browne was the only bookmaker in attendance and he priced Rangers Quest at 6/4, with Lassa Exquisite at 5/4.

The early advantage lay with Lassa Exquisite, which came away very fast from trap 1, but Rangers Quest, a middle seed housed in trap 6, was in close proximity to him off the first bend and, after striding to the front around the third bend, Rangers Quest held control to the line for that onelength victory.

Tragedy struck for the talented Stormy Jake during the race in that he sustained a career-ending broken leg.

The attendance, as one would expect, was on the small side because of the clash with the Munster football final, but the died-in-the-wool regulars always enjoy their racing at the Oakview venue and it would be a queer place without them.

Other winners on Saturday night: Turree Jet, 17.87; Calsar, 30.16; Yorkville Rosie, 18.07; Carmac Maura, 29.43; Oak Cherry, 17.83; Baltovin Peril, 29.09; Headleys Bud, 29.19; Salami Sam, 29.44.