What had looked in advance an intensely competitive Golden Pages Handicap turned out that way at Leopardstown on Saturday, but once again the Jim Bolger factor proved decisive as Graduated became the first horse to win the £50,000 race twice. The Michael Smurfit-owned gelding won it last year, but even that fine record pales next to that of his trainer. Bolger won the Golden Pages first with Elementary in 1989, and since then has picked up the pot five more times, including the last four. In hindsight then, the Bolger factor looks compelling. But despite Graduated starting favourite, Saturday's race looked hard to win, and so it proved. The five-year-old had to battle like a lion to just head the front-running Flaunt close home. Inchacooley led the posse home a further short head back.
Galway could be next for the winner. "I would like Graduated to go there for the McDonogh Handicap, but if the ground is firm there then he won't," Bolger said. "He's a big horse and coming down the hill could be a problem. If that's the case, we'll see what other big money handicaps there are."
Whether Christy Roche will still be riding then is debatable, but even by the veteran jockey's standard, this season has been exceptional. He carried his unbeaten streak to eight on Flame Violet in the Rochestown Stakes.
The run Roche started at Killarney, however, survived by only a short head as Abandonment finished strongly after being switched. And it finally ended when Royal Affinity finished last behind John Murtagh's mount Poker-B in the Cantrell and Crowley Race, Murtagh went on to win the Clarmallagh Maiden on the newcomer, Winona, who is being targeted to clash with Flame Violet in the Moyglare Stud Stakes in September. Winona quickened impressively in the straight to beat the favourite, Desert Fox.
Her trainer, John Oxx, enthused: "We liked her before the race and like her even more now. She's a really nice filly, and if she runs before the Moyglare it will be either in a Listed race here or the Tyros Stakes at the Curragh."
Oxx, however, had a setback when Chania, an uneasy favourite for the Ballyroan Stakes, appeared not to stay the mile and a half behind the pace-forcing stayer Gordi.
