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Glasgow Times
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Roosevelt sights to be raised after maiden win
The Frankel colt, who is trained by Aidan O'Brien and was a 950,000 guineas purchase, was last of 10 behind stablemate Stay True on his debut at the same track early last month. With the winner having finished a narrow second in Saturday's Lingfield Derby Trial, Roosevelt was sent off a 7-1 shot under Wayne Lordan and after setting the pace in a slowly-run race over a mile and a half, he put his head down when it counted to defeat Joseph O'Brien's Delta by a head on the line. Chris Armstrong, stable representative, said: 'Wayne gave him a lovely ride. He steadied it up and got the fractions spot on and stretched on at the line. Roosevelt after his success (Damien Eagers/PA) 'In fairness, he ran here the last day and Declan (McDonogh) spoke highly of him. 'He's a big, burly colt and he's still carrying plenty of condition, even today. He's stepped forward from the last day and will step forward again. Wayne said he had two good blows before the line. 'He's a horse that stays well and has all the right entries. He could come back here for something like the Nijinsky and could end up an Irish Derby type or the Queen's Vase for Ascot. 'He'll strip fitter again so there is more to come from him.' The same yard had another maiden winner as Butterfly Wings took the It's Family Day At Leopardstown Fillies Maiden by four lengths under Wayne Lordan at 2-1. Butterfly Wings at Leopardstown (Damien Eagers/PA) 'She had run in a couple of very good maidens, and we thought she might have won by now,' Armstrong said. 'Hopefully that win will give her the confidence to send her to the next level. 'Wayne felt she was grand at that trip but the best would probably be when she goes up to a mile and a half, which gives plenty of options. 'It's great to get the maiden win and we'll see where she fits in with the other fillies and try to get some black type.' Zodiac Bear also took a huge step forward from his debut to take the Fitz Agriplant Maiden for Johnny Murtagh and Ben Coen. Zodiac Bear and Ben Coen (Damien Eagers/PA) The three-year-old was well beaten at the Curragh when taking to the track for the first time in March, but lined up a 5-1 chance at the second time of asking when stepped down to seven furlongs. In a field of 11 he travelled handily throughout and was able to pull away to score by four and a quarter lengths. 'He ran OK on soft ground at the Curragh. He was very green and grabbed a hold to come forward at halfway, he picked up and then got tired on the ground,' said Coen. 'Back on a nicer surface today, he obviously sharpened up and we dropped him back to seven. 'He was still plenty green throughout the race but when I pulled him out and asked him to quicken up the straight, he put it to bed nicely and galloped through the line strong. 'He's a big unit. Last year he was a slow burner, and it was always going to be about this year with him and I think he's going to be a horse to keep improving. 'It's hard to know what was behind me but he beat them convincingly while he was still green.' Chicago Critic took Listed laurels (Damien Eagers/PA) Chicago Critic continued a fruitful afternoon for Murtagh and Coen when taking the Porsche In Support Of Breast Cancer Ireland Amethyst Stakes at 14-1. The complexion of the race changed when Aidan O'Brien's Diego Velazquez, the clear favourite, became very unsettled in the stalls and was withdrawn. A field of six therefore went forward to contest the Listed event, and under a patient ride it was the chestnut who came to the fore by a length and three-quarters. Coen said: 'He's a talented horse. We've kind of been messing around a bit with trips for him from a mile to six (furlongs) but I think a mile and fast ground is ideal for him. 'We didn't go quick today, and I had a good turn of foot towards the end. It's nice to get his head in front again.'
The Herald Scotland
11-05-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Roosevelt sights to be raised after maiden win
With the winner having finished a narrow second in Saturday's Lingfield Derby Trial, Roosevelt was sent off a 7-1 shot under Wayne Lordan and after setting the pace in a slowly-run race over a mile and a half, he put his head down when it counted to defeat Joseph O'Brien's Delta by a head on the line. Chris Armstrong, stable representative, said: 'Wayne gave him a lovely ride. He steadied it up and got the fractions spot on and stretched on at the line. Roosevelt after his success (Damien Eagers/PA) 'In fairness, he ran here the last day and Declan (McDonogh) spoke highly of him. 'He's a big, burly colt and he's still carrying plenty of condition, even today. He's stepped forward from the last day and will step forward again. Wayne said he had two good blows before the line. 'He's a horse that stays well and has all the right entries. He could come back here for something like the Nijinsky and could end up an Irish Derby type or the Queen's Vase for Ascot. 'He'll strip fitter again so there is more to come from him.' Zodiac Bear also took a huge step forward from his debut to take the Fitz Agriplant Maiden for Johnny Murtagh and Ben Coen. Zodiac Bear and Ben Coen (Damien Eagers/PA) The three-year-old was well beaten at the Curragh when taking to the track for the first time in March, but lined up a 5-1 chance at the second time of asking when stepped down to seven furlongs. In a field of 11 he travelled handily throughout and was able to pull away to score by four and a quarter lengths. 'He ran OK on soft ground at the Curragh. He was very green and grabbed a hold to come forward at halfway, he picked up and then got tired on the ground,' said Coen. 'Back on a nicer surface today, he obviously sharpened up and we dropped him back to seven. 'He was still plenty green throughout the race but when I pulled him out and asked him to quicken up the straight, he put it to bed nicely and galloped through the line strong. 'He's a big unit. Last year he was a slow burner, and it was always going to be about this year with him and I think he's going to be a horse to keep improving. 'It's hard to know what was behind me but he beat them convincingly while he was still green.' Chicago Critic took Listed laurels (Damien Eagers/PA) Chicago Critic continued a fruitful afternoon for Murtagh and Coen when taking the Porsche In Support Of Breast Cancer Ireland Amethyst Stakes at 14-1. The complexion of the race changed when Aidan O'Brien's Diego Velazquez, the clear favourite, became very unsettled in the stalls and was withdrawn. A field of six therefore went forward to contest the Listed event, and under a patient ride it was the chestnut who came to the fore by a length and three-quarters. Coen said: 'He's a talented horse. We've kind of been messing around a bit with trips for him from a mile to six (furlongs) but I think a mile and fast ground is ideal for him. 'We didn't go quick today, and I had a good turn of foot towards the end. It's nice to get his head in front again.'
The Irish Sun
25-04-2025
- The Irish Sun
State is failing young people caught up in crime, with Oberstown at breaking point we need early intervention changes
IRELAND'S prison system is bursting at the seams, with inmates left sleeping on floors. Advertisement 2 Overcrowding in Oberstown has resulted in some teenage criminals being let off after being convicted Credit: Collins Photo Agency 2 Dublin TD Mark Ward said that early intervention is key to tackling youth crime Credit: Damien Eagers - The Sun Dublin This overcrowding crisis is mirrored in the country's only prison for young offenders at Oberstown in The facility has a max capacity of 40 boys and six girls. But figures show almost every month last year it was overcrowded, with 54 kids incarcerated in May and 53 in December. Oberstown is under so much pressure that officials are considering the possibility of trying to add a number of cells into the existing building. The overcrowding in Oberstown has resulted in some teenage criminals being let off after being convicted because there is no prison space for them. Advertisement Read more in News Dublin TD Mark Ward believes the Government needs to target resources at communities most affected by crime in order to tackle the issue from the bottom up. Here, Deputy Ward tells of the real impact of overcrowding in Oberstown in his constituency and what he believes needs to help prevent teens ending up in a life of crime. THE state is failing our young people by not resourcing communities most affected by crime. Early intervention is key to tackling youth crime and to give young people a chance to succeed in society. Advertisement Most read in The Irish Sun Young people turn to crime for a myriad of underlying social reasons, including poverty, lack of local services, and lack of opportunities. I have raised this on many occasions on the floor of the Their communities need to be funded, particularly to build resilience to criminality. If a young person is groomed into criminality, then there must be sufficient intervention services to assist them away from this. CRIME ROOT CAUSES NOT ADDRESSED Unfortunately, there is not enough emphasis on stopping repeat offending. The root causes of crime are not being addressed. The Irish Penal Reform Trust have highlighted the benefits of the Bail Supervision Scheme. Advertisement The Bail Supervision Scheme gives the This consists of multi-disciplinary teams going into the home of the young person, finding out what their issues are and working with them to address them. I have followed up with the Minister in relation to this service, to ask the levels of funding and the impact the service is having. Restorative justice is another path to reducing crime by young people. This process allows the victim of a crime to speak with the perpetrator of the crime, alongside an independent professional. Advertisement RESTORATIVE JUSTICE An open conversation can help both the victim and the perpetrator to understand the motives but also the impact that it has on a victim. It humanises the victim. Evidence has stated restorative justice practices will encourage young people to not reoffend. Dr Ian Marder, Associate Professor in Criminology at Maynooth University, has highlighted that referrals to restorative justice for 2023 had not reached their pre-pandemic levels. I have received parliamentary question responses that show this decline between 2019 and 2023. 2024 data is being correlated and I would like to see these numbers increase. This, alongside other youth diversion programmes such as targeted outreach models, are a way forward in reducing repeat offences. Advertisement The alternative to the above interventions is youth detention, and while this is what is needed for serious crimes, we know that this is not only costly, but also not the most effective way at reducing repeat offending. The capacity in the Oberstown HIGH COST OF DETENTION Prime Time last month highlighted that there is a daily cost of €1,700 per young person to detain them in Oberstown. Imagine if this money was invested in those young people within their communities, to fund local services, youth groups, sports clubs. We need to target young people where they live and provide them with positive options for their lives. I am aware of incidents in my community where a young offender was sentenced to Oberstown but that the detention centre was at capacity. The young person was sent back to their community, with no support, and allowed to reoffend. Advertisement This impacts the morale of my community, and also the local The MOORE NEEDS TO BE DONE More needs to be done to build resilience in our communities to tackle the causes of crime. It is important the areas of highest disadvantage are funded to be the most resilient to crime. The state needs to listen to services on the frontline, resource them and allow them to build resilience in our communities. Advertisement The building blocks for a fully functional youth justice strategy are there, it just requires the political will to put it all together. Young people and their communities deserve it.
