'Super sub' McGill rides first winner

Nineteen year old Dara McGill rode his first winner, as a super sub, today steering well-backed Bohemian Summer (12/1 - 5s) to win Punchestown's Irish Stallion Farms Bumper for Honeysuckle's handler Jerry Cosgrave.

McGill, a son of trainer Gary McGill, was a late replacement for injured Cormac Abernethy on the mare who raced clear lead rounding the home turn, and held on to win by two and a quarter lengths from promising newcomer Why Delilah

Derry-native McGill, a pony racing graduate, said “I've ridden 11 point-to-point winners and that's my first on the track so it's nice to get it out of the way - I only picked up the ride last night.

“She's very tough and she kept galloping the whole way, she's all heart.

“She was flat out the whole way but once she started to travel down the back, I just let her go on and she just kept galloping the whole way home.”

Point-to-point handler Cosgrave and owner Mark O'Hare sent out future dual Champion Hurdler Honeysuckle to win her point-to-point at Dromahane in 2018.

Quotes from Gary Carson