Our Boy Boru (Robbie Colgan, white and red) battles it out with Swift (Mark Enright, nearside)© Photo Healy Racing
Following on from Benarty Hill and Blue Empyrean earlier, we had another Ulster winner when Our Boy Boru triumphed for John Woods in the Bet With The Tote Handicap Hurdle at Down Royal.
Trained in Armagh by John Woods, Our Boy Boru had just one above him in the weights, but he shrugged aside his eleven stone eleven burden in the hands of Robbie Colgan.
The Brian Boru gelding had to overcome a bad mistake at the final flight before edging out Swift by half a length.
"We thought he would run well but Robbie (Colgan) was more confident about him than I was. He doesn't really like that ground but he got through it well. We'll keep him handicapping," disclosed Woods.
"The syndicate are all from Armagh and there are five in it. One of them, Sean Devlin, has a pub in Armagh -The Strawberry Bar, where the syndicate name came from."
The Stewards enquired into an incident between the second last and last hurdle involving Our Boy Boru, ridden by R.C. Colgan and Swift, ridden by M.A. Enright, where it appeared that interference may have occurred.
Evidence was heard from the riders concerned.
Having viewed the recording of the race and considered the evidence, the Stewards gave M. A. Enright the benefit of the doubt on this occasion and took no further action.
A.E. Lynch, rider of Apache Jack trained by S.R.B. Crawford, reported to the Clerk of Scales that his mount hated the ground.
(MG & EM)
