Denis Coakley's latest news...

• WINNER ! Stable sharp out of the blocks for 2021 with another win from Party Island

  10 January 2021

  With the New Year only just over a week old, Party Island landed a first win of 2021 for Keeper's Stables, making it two wins from his last three runs since November. Tony Killoran's strong chesnut gelding marked his turning to a four year old with his third career win, after his successes on Haydock Park soft ground over seven furlongs in July, and also taking out a Kempton Park all weather mile handicap in November. Off his raised mark Party Island was able to cope well with a step up to ten furlongs at Lingfield Park, under a very well judged ride from the highly promising claimer George Bass. Tracking the race favourite and leader for over a mile, Jo Tuite's triple mile winner Sophosc, George took Party Island into the lead stretching away with a strong run turning into the home straight. He lengthened well going up to the furlong pole, and kept on to good effect in always holding the late challenge of Hollie Doyle on five time course and distance winner Subliminal. By the line Party Island prevailed by a neck only, and he underlined his staying credentials and his polytrack performance once again. There is the possibility that he will do better still on the turf and good ground, which he has not raced on since his first two outings as a two year old.

• Carmenere progresses to close the year

  01 January 2021

  On Wednesday at Wolverhampton Carmenere had her second racecourse outing, stepping up from her promising mile debut at Kempton to go over the extended mile and a furlong of the tapeta at Dunstall Park. Breaking well from an inside draw, jockey Charlie Bishop had her moving well close to the rail in midfield of the eight runners, and she was able to make smooth headway approaching the quarter mile post. Ultimately she kept on at the same pace down the straight to finish off only five lengths off the winner belying her 100/1 tag, and, as she was splitting some of the Newmarket raiders from powerful yards this was good progress towards her future targets over middle distances. One more run for her to be given a rating, after which Carmenere can become a competitive handicapper with good prospects of track successes for Sparkling Partners. This was the final runner for the yard of what has been, for everyone involved with racing, an incredibly challenging and demanding year.

• Party Island remains in good order

  21 December 2020

  Last Friday in the final race of the card at Southwell, Tony Killoran's gelding Party Island ran yet another good race over a mile to finish third, and beaten only one and three-quarter lengths. Jockey George Bass said that he didn't really like the fibresand surface anything like as much as when winning last time at Kempton Park. He has come out of the race very well and remains in very good heart, however, so another opportunity on the polytrack will be sought in the next couple of weeks. Party Island sees out the mile very well indeed, and, with conditions to suit, he will soon be notching his third victory for Tony and Denis.

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