The sort of rain that helped turn the ground "soft" on an already heavily criticised Tralee track may have been the last thing that most wanted but it was almost mothers milk to Rush Brook who sluiced home by four lengths in last night's Carlsberg Ruby Stakes.
"He just loves the mud, the softer the better," said Rush Brook's trainer David Wachman and the five-year-old indeed looked totally at home as Tushna and Cobourg Lodge struggled in vain to hold his late run.
Rush Brook was the joint highest rated horse along with the well backed favourite Free To Speak going into yesterday's race but Wachman will still consider running his stable star in the Curragh Cambridgeshire.
"It will depend if the ground is soft but we'll have a look at it," Wachman said. "If it isn't suitable we'll look for a Group Three race for him, probably in France, but I'll have to look at the book."
Tushna's second place reflected the sort of luck that Jim Bolger and Kevin Manning had to endure yesterday. Alfina was a sore disappointment in the Premier Nursery behind the 10/1 Scolardy while their heavily fancied favourite in the first Marefonic had a nightmare debut.
Along with the eventual winner Right Honorable, Marefonic got upset at the start and after the runners were released from the stalls the race was started by flag. Right Honourable got a flyer and made all the running but the favourite could only finish fifth after stumbling badly soon after the start.
There was a huge drop in bookmaker turnover with a total of £90,236 dropping from last year's corresponding figure of £540,560. The Tote aggregate was marginally down to £82,987.
