East Hampton completes good weekend for Marnane and McAteer

East Hampton rounded off a profitable weekend for trainer David Marnane with a decisive victory in the €45,000 Irish Racing Writers Association Ron McKnight Memorial Madrid Handicap at Naas.

Following a Friday night double at Dundalk, the Tipperary handler sent just one runner to County Kildare on Sunday, with East Hampton a 7-1 shot for his first start since November.

The son of Cracksman was fourth behind the high-class Henri Matisse on his racecourse debut in May last year and went on to win a Curragh maiden before the end of 2024.

Having been gelded during the off-season, the three-year-old looked much improved as he pulled a length of the runner-up Wizard Of Odds in the hands of Luke McAteer, and Marnane is confident there is more to come in his favoured testing conditions.

He said: “He obviously had a very good run the first day and then the only day he got anything resembling soft ground he won on it at the Curragh.

“He wants an ease in the ground. We brought him to Dundalk and his fractions were actually very good but he just didn’t like the surface so we put him away with this in mind.

“We’ll see where he lands, he’s a good horse anyway. As long as there is a bit of ease in the ground, we’ll keep going.”

Rowdy Yeats (5-1) looks set to go on to bigger and better things after impressing in the Space Traveller At Compas Stallions Maiden.

Runner-up on each of his two juvenile starts last season for Noel Meade, the Make Believe colt quickened up smartly for Jamie Powell in the last of seven furlongs to beat 13-8 favourite Storm Piece by three and a half lengths, with Mississippi River a close-up third.

“He’s a nice horse. We fancied him when he went to the Curragh last year, we never thought he was bred to be a five-furlong horse, but he was beat by a very good horse (Arizona Blaze) and they were a long way clear of the third,” said Meade.

“I thought I’d give him time to mature but I found it very hard to get him back and I don’t think I really had him 100 per cent when he came here at the end of the season.

“He has trained very well and I fancied him today. I don’t know where he goes now but there is no reason why he can’t run in good races, I think he’s a good horse.”

Hurricane Ivor was a 20-1 winner of the DAR Golf Handicap, his eighth career victory and third since joining Jessica Harrington two years ago.

Harrington said: “When he’s on-song he’s on-song! He worked really well the other day up Walsh’s Hill (at the Curragh). Scott (McCullagh, jockey) rode him and he tanked up there.

“I had no idea (what to expect), I thought the ground was maybe a bit heavy for him but when he’s in a going mood like that he’s very strong.

“As he’s got older seven furlongs seems to be no problem and he might go a mile. He’s such a cool dude.”