Son Of Milan Displays Game Attitude On Maiden Victory

Stand Off (5g Milan - Stand In Line, by Flemensfirth) displayed a winning attitude when justifying favoritism in Thursday’s maiden hurdle at Clonmel.

Fourth on both his bumper starts and a promising fifth on hurdle debut last month, the Philip Fenton-trained bay was sent off a short-priced favourite as he dropped down to two miles. He raced prominently under Mark Walsh, and though headed at the penultimate flight, battled back to regain the lead on the run-in. Keeping on well, he scored by a length and a half on the line.

The winning trainer was confident in his charge’s will to win, and said after the race, “I felt if he got into a battle that he might come out on top because he does stay well and will get further than two miles.”

Stand Off carries the colours of his breeder John J Power, who also raced the half-sister Line Break (Mahler) to win a Punchestown bumper earlier in the year.