Norwalk Havoc back on form with Knockaire defence

Norwalk Havoc opened his account for the season with a successful defence of the Bahrain Turf Club Knockaire Stakes at Leopardstown.

Jessica Harrington’s four-year-old was an emphatic all-the-way winner of the Listed contest 12 months ago, but had failed to add to his tally in three previous starts this term.

However, a runner-up finish in the Listowel Stakes last month suggested he was returning to form and he duly came good back at Leopardstown under Seamie Heffernan, coming home three lengths clear of Queen Of Thunder.

Harrington said: “That was great. It’s the first time all year he’s got his ground.

“Seamie said he just keeps on finding in that and the further he goes, the better he goes.

“You’d imagine on that he’d go a mile and one (furlong) or a mile and a quarter easily. I think there might be a race in Rome for him. He wants soft ground and he just loves it.”

Shaool struck gold in the other Listed race on the card – the 10-furlong Trigo Stakes.

Johnny Murtagh’s filly was bidding for back-to-back wins following a lucrative success in Northfields Handicap on Irish Champions Weekend at the Curragh and was the 6-4 favourite to follow up.

Ben Coen took the brave man’s route down the inside rail, but Shaool had more than enough petrol to take the gap when it came and she fairly sprinted clear late on to win by an impressive six lengths.

“I’d love to know where this improvement has come from, Ben says the ground is key to her,” said Murtagh.

“She had been training really well, all the horses are going well. I thought she’d be very competitive here today but that was a very good performance.

“I don’t think there is anything left for her (this season), she’s been busy. I thought today would tell us if she’d come back next year. She should, she’s going out on a high now.”

There was drama in the Bahrain Turf Club October Handicap, with Willie McCreery’s Navy Waters passing the post with three and a quarter lengths in hand before being demoted by the stewards after impeding the Noel Meade-trained runner-up Blake (16-1), who was therefore called the winner.