Winter Lion caps off fine week for Hogan

Only two horses were ever involved in the mile and six handicap at Galway and it was Winter Lion who was too strong for Whodoyouthink at the end.

Whodoyouthink and Leigh Roche soon led and was chased by Winter Lion as the pair pulled clear of the remaining 14 runners. Chris Hayes drove Winter Lion (8/1) to the head of affairs with a quarter of a mile to race and the pair prevailed by three parts of a length from the rallying Whodoyouthink (25/1). Beau Michael (12/1) and Foot Soldier (4/1f) stayed on from the pack to be third and fourth respectively. However, it was nine and a half lengths back to Beau Michael in third.

Denis Hogan trained the winner and said: “I’ve two wins and two seconds for the week. Everything I fancied ran well. It’s massive for me to have these two wins. You could have 10 or 12 wins down the country, but the whole country tunes in here.

“He ran okay in Dundalk maidens, but took a while to find his feet. The ground was an unknown and I would have taken him out, but being Galway we said we’ll see if he goes on it. He’s a good-actioned horse and should make a smashing jumps horse.

“He fully came off the bridle coming down the hill, but he’s gutsy and tough. John Oxx advised me to buy him. He was a big backward type and never ran for him.

“I’m delighted for the owner Bart Hooper and his brother-in-law Liam O’Kelly who is a very good owner with me.”

Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes