Landmark winner for Cronin family

The Cronin family from nearby Doneraile enjoyed a real red-letter day as Notification took the CIT Students Union Facebook Handicap Hurdle.

A first winner for 25-year-old amateur rider Willie Cronin, the lightly-raced ten-year-old gelding bridged a winner-less gap stretching back 17 years for his trainer father and namesake.

The 8/1 chance challenged early in the straight, and asserted strongly on the run-in for his inexperienced rider to beat top-weight Deano by three and a quarter lengths. On My Own could find no extra from the last to finish the same distance further back in third, with My Old Lady in fourth.

Cronin junior said, “He was entitled to do that. His bumper form was pretty good but he’s had plenty of problems over the last few years.

“He ran well the last day and this didn’t look the strongest of races. He’ll go over fences shortly. He’s ten but hasn’t much mileage on the clock.”

He added, “I’ve finished college in Waterford IT and ride out locally for a number of stables.”

Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes