Hoban bows out on a winner

Conor Hoban announced his retirement from the saddle after partnering Samrogue to win the View Restaurant At Dundalk Handicap. 

A little slowly away, the 9/2 chance only had three of her 13 rivals behind her turning for home but they had gone quick up front and the five-year-old powered home to hit the front in the closing stages. 

A neck was the winning margin for the Ross O'Sullivan-trained mare with third reserve Below Deck running a big race at 50/1 in second. Hoban will not have been unduly concerned when the stewards imposed a five-day whip ban.

All five wins for Samrogue have come in the hands of Hoban who has ridden over 200 winners including two Irish Cambridgeshires and an Irish Cesarewitch. The popular Westport native got a great reception from his weighroom colleagues on his return to the winners' enclosure. 

Hoban, who has already established a successful pre-training business with the likes of Johnny Murtagh and Paddy Twomey among his clients, remarked: "That's it now. It's great to ride a winner for Ross and for Brendan Cooney (who owns the winner with his daughter Yvonne Lavin). Brendan has been a great supporter of mine. 

“I've just gotten so busy at home and it's lovely to end on a winner.

"I had it in my mind for a while that if I rode a winner I'd pull up.  

“Luckily enough I have another career that's going quite well at home, with the breaking and pre-training, so I'll focus on that now. I'm getting a good bit of support and it's great that it's going well. 

“Only for Brendan I probably wouldn't have been riding this year but he's been a great supporter.”

Quotes from Gary Carson