Star Comes Late in Royal County

Tony Martin trained his first winner of 2009 when Royal County Star sprung a 14/1 surprise in the Grade 3 Irish Form Book An Uaimh Chase. Ross Accord was Martin's last winner, at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival.

Royal County Star, hero of the 2007 Troytown Chase at the course for the local Dunsany Racing Syndicate, which includes Meath All-Ireland winning footballer of the 60s, Jack Quinn, had been absent since pulling up in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury in November.

Five of the seven runners still had a chance on the run-in here but the victorious chestnut unleashed the turn of foot that he has often used before in his five race winning career to get up and beat twos on favourite, Glenfinn Captain by a head. The last-named was Tony McCoy's only ride at the meeting following the defections of Flemensford and Checkpointcharlie owing to ground conditions.

Martin said: "I never thought he'd beat Glenfinn Captain. He is a horse with a lot of old problems but everything went right for him today. He loves that quicker ground and it is hard to say where we'll go from here."

David Casey, the winning rider, was teaming up with Royal County Star for the first time in his twenty one race career. (EM)