Denis Coakley's latest news...

• Party Island foiled in hat trick bid

  25 February 2021

  Last night returning to Kempton Park, Party Island ran another good race. but went a little too keenly through the first part of the race, with a rather messy pace to the contest not suiting him on this occasion. This meant that he got towards the front end quite early from the crown of the bend and he then faded a little inside the distance to finish fifth, beaten under three lengths. Now the option will be to wait for a race back on the turf in about a month's time - hoping that Tony Killoran's gelding will then be back in the frame once more.

• WINNING AGAIN as Party Island triumphs at Kempton

  04 February 2021

  Tony Killoran's gelding made it back to back wins and notched up his fourth race victory at Kempton Park yesterday evening. Party Island made light of the step into grade 4 company and the step up to eleven furlongs as he was brought home by jockey George Bass to win by half a length. Tracking the race leader setting a very steady pace, George took things up a quarter mile from home and Party Island confirmed his liking for the surface and his speed down the straight was always enough to hold the late challenge of the market principals. The chesnut four year old had seemed very fit and well in the preliminaries, and although he took a little persuasion to enter the stalls he needed none in finishing off his race strongly to beat higher rated rivals. As remarked in a previous post, the yard seems to have the horses in fine shape, and Party Island will now look for another opportunity off his revised mark.

• Givepeaceachance close up in bumper

  02 February 2021

  Yesterday at Lingfield Park a fixture was added to the race programme for a series of National Hunt flat races. In the 2 mile Mares' "jumpers' bumper' Givepeaceachance was ridden by Jonny Burke and just got a little too far back in the early stages. This meant that she had to overcome quite a bit of traffic to make her run inside the last quarter mile, and she stayed on very well to finish under five lengths behind the Nicky Henderson winner in fifth place. The strong run she gave up the straight is very encouraging for her when she can get back into hurdling on better ground if the wet weather relents. The good order of the horses was underlined by Carmenere's very good second on her last run, and once the race opportunities arise several horses are ready to go well.

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