Skywalker Manner (Leeview Jet-Jibberish) produced the best performance of his short career to land the €30,000 Irish Independent Laurels Final.
Without a win going into the decider, the 5-1 chance zipped away to his fastest sectional (3.41) with kennelmate Rural Hawaii (T6) on his outside. After first bend crowding it was 2-1f Farloe Rumble (T4) who set off in pursuit.
Owen McKenna’s big striding black moved ominously into Manner’s slipstream along the backstraight but the leader was resolute in front. Although Rumble switched to make his challenge on the inside, Manner still had a length and a quarter to spare at the winning line for a 28.29 victory.
The winner is a June ’14 whelp jointly owned and bred by Anne O’Connor and Ray ‘Skywalker’ Patterson who bought a half share on the recommendation of trainer Graham Holland.
Holland said: “Tom and Anne own the mother Jibberish and they have bred some very decent dogs including Sidarian Rhythm. Tom gave Manner his early schooling trials and was impressed enough to send him up. Ann and Tom like to sell off half shares in their good dogs; Ray was interested and it all went from there.”
Holland trained the prolific stake winner Leeview Jet, though one final that passed him by was the 2011 Laurels decider, so it was fitting that his son put matters right.
Holland said: “To win it, we knew he had to lead up those next to him. The one dog you didn’t want behind was Farloe Rumble, but Manner held on well enough and was still in front at the pick-up.”
SKYWALKER MANNER 5/1 (2) 28.29
(Leeview Jet-Jibberish) bkw D Jun 14. Mrs. Anne O’Connor
- Farloe Rumble (4) 1.5L
- Ela Alecko (1) 1.5L
- Rural Hawaii (6) 1L
- Must Be Jack (5) 1L
- Borna Candy (3) 3.5L
