Hills provides Hughes with 50th win

Dessie Hughes registered his 50th winner of the season at Fairyhouse today when his Whispering Hills who had to survive both a photo finish and a stewards' enquiry, won the concluding Dunshaughlin Bumper.

The win also completed a double for Hughes on the day, following Erritt Lake s earlier success.

Whispering Hills, under Pat Kennedy, slightly bumped into eventual runner-up St Devote Nina Carberry, two furlongs out and eventually finished well for a short head win. A subsequent stewards' enquiry deemed the bumping incident insufficient to warrant a change to the result.

Hughes later stated "Whispering Hills was on the wrong side of a photo finish the last day and while he is an honest horse, he is a big laid back oul' devil!"

He added "we may go for the Champion Bumper at the Punchestown Festival next and we would prefer a fast-run race. That is my 50th winner of the season ? my most was 53 winners back in the early 1980s."

Thomas Weekes.