Holland trebles up in Irish Leger but Gold has to settle for silver

GRAHAM HOLLAND took training honours in the first round of the 1XBet Irish St Leger over 550 yards at Limerick even though his Irish Derby champion Bockos Gold had to settle for second in his big heat 11 clash with Ballymac Setanta.

Holland had previously completed a treble with fastest-of-night Swords Diamond (29.49sec) supplementing an earlier success for Slippery Felix (29.71sec) and a subsequent one for Roaming Shelby (29.70sec).

Liam Dowling's Ballymac Setanta held the inside line to shade fast-starting Bockos Gold in the finale and was always holding his big rival afterwards to score by a length in 29.73sec completing a double for Dowling who had previously seen Ballymac Deniro ride a first bend bump to land heat eight in 29.78sec.

Paul Hennessy also doubled up courtesy of Priceless Romeo (29.68sec) and Lennies Dynamic (29.65sec), with other heats going to Pat Guilfoyle's Wi Can James (29.57sec), Michael Hogan's Grangeview Rocko (29.74sec), Tom O’Neill's Ballyhooly Bruno (29.94sec) and Evan McAuliffe’s Drombeg King (30.04sec).

Saturday's second round Irish St Leger heats