Clashnabrook leads King Of The Refs over the final flight© Photo Healy Racing
Trainer Eoghan O’Grady has placed his Clashnabrook to excellent effect and the pair continued their winning ways at Fairyhouse today when winning the Tote Sports Lounge Novice Handicap Hurdle.
Ridden by Philip Enright the gelding found a length and a quarter more than the thoroughly frustrating King Of The Refs at the line, the winner’s third win in his last four starts.
Afterwards O’Grady stated “Clashnabrook will go for the novice handicap hurdle back here at Easter next and will have a bit of a break between now and then. He needs soft ground and as long as it stays soft, he’ll keep going.” Lookoutnow passed the post in third place but was subsequently disqualified as his jockey Mikey Butler was adjudged by the Stewards to have ridden dangerously in an incident in which Dog Barrel Hill was forced out of the race at the third last flight.
In the incident, Butler appeared to ‘close the door’ on Dog Barrell Hill, whose rider Brian Hayes was attempting to go for a gap on his inside, forcing Dog Barrell Hill out of the race. As is often the case in such unfortunate incidents, there was no running rail approaching the ‘island’ hurdle in question.
Butler was subsequently suspended for 14 days for dangerous riding, the Stewards having been satisfied that he had caused interference by riding dangerously and ordered him to forfeit his riding fee.
