Mighty Jeremy (orange)© Photo Healy Racing
Ian Power delivered 5/4 favourite Mighty Jeremy with a well-timed challenge to land the Botanica International Handicap Hurdle for owner/breeder Paddy Meany.
Injury-prone after finishing second at Fairyhouse in 2019, the nine-year-old had run well in two starts this year after a long lay-off. Dropped out by Power, he made smooth headway to join Lilian Bland on the run to the second-last and went away to defeat that rival by three and a half lengths.
Winning trainer Liam O'Brien, for whom it was a third success, said: "That winner is owned by my landlord so I'll be safe for another 12 months!
"It was an absolutely brilliant ride - when I saw the race conditions I spoke to John O'Mahoney, who looks after the Curraghmore gallops, and asked him which jockey to get for a 10-winner (in a year) race and he said to get Ian. He gave the horse a peach.
"He ran too free when he finished second in Cork the last day and the way he ran, should have finished fifth or sixth.
"He is very ground-dependent and wants soft to heavy so we may run out of time with him but there is a race at Tramore for him on Sunday week. I'm delighted for Paddy (Meaney) as a lot of lads wouldn't have shown as much patience with the horse, who is nine.
"I have 10 riding out, we are small fish but we don't want to get much bigger and want quality rather than quantity."
Quotes from Tom Weekes
