Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Kodama has Time of his life
ELUSIVE Time proved a shock winner of the €100,000 Tote Irish Cambridgeshire at the Curragh yesterday.
The 25/1 shot provided Curragh-based Takashi Kodama, originally from Japan, and apprentice Ross Coakley with the biggest success of their careers, swooping along the stands rail to beat Surrounding by two lengths.
Kodama declared: “It’s unbelievable. Suddenly, everything has come right in the last two months. He is nine-years-old and I was going to retire him at the end of the season, but maybe not now.”
Aidan O’brien completed a treble, including Group 3 successes with US Navy Flag in the Plusvital Round Tower Stakes and Rain Goddess in the Snow Fairy Stakes.
O’brien also saddled two losing odds-on favourites.
Christoper Robin was well beaten by impressive stable-companion and debutant Saxon Warrior in the two-year-old maiden, while 2/7 shot Ballet Shoes was brushed aside by Willie Mccreery’s Liquid Amber in the Group 3 Flame Of Tara 2-Y-0 Stakes.
Roscommon stages its flat card, cancelled last Monday, this evening while Downpatrick caters for jumps fans earlier on.
And Kevin Prendergast’s Himmah, which coped well enough with testing ground when runner-up to Ball Girl over course and distance, is napped to open her account in the opener in Roscommon.
And Donnacha O’brien might double-up on Joseph’s Curragh winner and top-weight Apparition in the Peggy Guerin Memorial Handicap, and Ballydoyle colt World Stage – narrowly beaten in his last two starts – in the Abbey Hotel Roscommon Maiden.
Meanwhile, in Downpatrick, Masterson and Presenting Julio, 4lb ‘well-in’ for the Win A Trip To Thailand Handicap Chase, might complete a double for in-form Gordon Elliott and Davy Russell.