McDonogh hangs on

Moynalty jockey Declan McDonogh showed some more champion style at Listowel on Saturday after he was, quite literally, left hanging on in front. The drama started when McDonogh went for his race over a furlong from home on board the Kevin Prendergast-trained La Mere Garmaine in the first race on the card, a fillies maiden. La Mere Germaine hit the front over a furlong from home and stuck on well to make a winning debut, but McDonogh lost a stirrup iron when the leather broke. The tack had started to come loose and the leather went close home, but McDonogh held on for a remarkable victory with the Basil Brindley-owned three-year-old. "Declan did a great job to win that race, it certainly wasn't as simple as he made it look," the owner told the Meath Chronicle this week. The filly is named after a well-known sea food hostelry in Villfrance-sur-Mere, which is between Nice and Monaco. The proprietor, Remy Blouin, regularly hosts many Irish racing visitors. McDonogh played down the incident, as if it was nothing unusual when contacted by the Meath Chronicle. "I knew I was going to lose the iron about 100 yards from the post, so in that sense I was ready for it," he stated. "The buckle popped out of the catch, nothing broke as such, I was two lengths clear at that stage so I definitely wasn't going to lose the race at that stage," he added. McDonogh also displayed plenty of skill to win a handicap at the Munster track on Friday for trainer Joe Murphy from Tipperary. The Meath man got Maggie The Cat home ahead of the field despite a poor start after missing the break and losing a lot of ground. "She wouldn't jump out of the stalls, but what can you do when that happens, you have only one card to play and I got there." The former champion jockey got the filly into the race in the straight and got her to the front close home for a three parts of a length win over Tatacoa with Tellelle a close third for Wilkinstown, Navan trainer Liam McAteer. "Things are going well at the moment, I've had two Group One winners in the last few weeks, so I can't complain too much," he concluded. McAteer was also on the mark at Listowel on Friday with That's A Fret. After That's A Fret won at Down Royal at the end of August, McAteer suggested that the Choisir colt might win again at Listowel. Owned and bred by Marie Cusack (Cusack Hotels), That's A Fret duly obliged. "He's only a three-year-old and he's improving still, but it is hard to know how much more he can improve," stated the trainer.