Bythesametoken escapes final hurdle drama in Wexford feature

Bythesametoken recorded a third career win but only after plenty of drama at the final flight of the featured Micheal O’Murchadha Memorial Handicap Hurdle at Wexford.

Eight went to post for the €21,000 two miles event and there was still a line of horses in contention approaching the final flight. Take All was disputing the lead when falling at the last, bringing down Stand Off while Tucanae also fell independently and badly hampered Gold Des Bois

All this mayhem left Bythesametoken in front and the 4/1 shot was kept up to his work on the run-in by Conor Orr to beat Feelgood Island by half a length.

Gold Des Bois finished 15 lengths back in third.

O'Sullivan said, "I'm delighted with him and he is a classy horse. He has stepped up from his run in Naas.

"He is a horse that had a little bit of a winter break and it suited him great. The main worry today was the ground and that's why he had a winter break. We have the spring and summer now to look forward to with him. You'd never know, he could progress even more in the spring time and somewhere along the line he will jump a fence because he loves jumping.

"It was a lovely pot to win today and he is a lovely horse to have. The smaller field suited him, he likes to be ridden patiently and to be passing horses.

"Conor thought he was going to win everywhere. He rode him for the first time the last day and he got to know him and it made all the difference today. He gave him a lovely ride and he said he is just a horse who is better following horses and he relaxes a bit more in his race then.

"It took a while to figure him out, but we got the hang of him and he has been a very consistent horse the last year.

"The plan was to jump a fence with him, but when he ran so well the other day we thought there might be another good pot in him over hurdles. He seems to have got better with time."

(DM & AM)