John O'Riordan
Ti Sento a shock 100/1 winner at Listowel
Ti Sento caused shock in Listowel opener
© Photo Healy Racing
Ti Sento quickened away from his rivals to run out a decisive, if shock, 100/1 winner of the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden at Listowel.
The Ado McGuiness trained colt only beat two home on his debut at Navan last month but obviously benefited from that introduction as he looked a much more professional type here.
Ronan Whelan was content to hold his horse up early on as Vanguard Star and odds on favourite Congo River battled for the lead. The jolly was in trouble well before the straight as Seamie Heffernan got lower in the saddle. Blindsided arrived with a strong challenge up the centre of the track but once Whelan asked Ti Sento to quicken, the response was impressive.
The win didn't come as a complete surprise to Ado McGuinness; "we were very disappointed at Navan but he missed the break and got terribly unbalanced and Ronnie (Whelan) didn't knock him about.
"He wasn't a cheap horse (£75,000) from the breeze-ups and was showing us plenty at home. Someone said to me 'you'll be following these around' but I said 'believe me, he's not a bad horse and all the boys had a few quid on him up above (Co Dublin).
"He certainly wasn't a 100/1 shot but it was a fair race on paper. He is a good horse who will be sold. He was bought to be sold but don't ask where he is going to go."
Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes.