Daigreen & Pat Smullen lead them home for trainer Joanna Morgan© Photo Healy Racing
When Joanna Morgan books Pat Smullen it can often be significant and so it proved this evening as the pair combined to take the Burleigh Accountants Handicap with the lightly raced Daigreen
The 3yo son of King's Best was a market mover this morning with many bookmakers and went from 9/1 to 4/1 with Paddy Powers.
He was also backed with Boylesports who had him at 16/1 this morning and Ladbrokes where he opened at 14/1.
However he was friendless on track from his opening show of 9/2 and drifted out to 7/1 at the off.
Having chased the leaders in the early stages he was fifth at the halfway stage and was ridden into fourth two furlongs from home.
He was third entering the straight when Smullen lost his whip.
Despite that he stayed on well into second under a furlong out and hit the front inside the final 100 yards to win by a length and a quarter at the line.
The Michael Mulvany trained Tohugo had to settle for second at 16/1 after attempting to make all under Declan McDonogh while the 10/3 favourite and recent Naas scorer Roja Dove was a further length and a quarter back in third under Colm O'Donoghue for Ken Condon.
Joanna Morgan said afterwards: "Someone nicked the price on me and that’s the only bad thing!
"My mother Margaret owns him and she is not one bit pleased we missed the price!
"The trip and the ground suited him and he will probably go hurdling now to settle him as he is a bit giddy.
"Ballinrobe is a very lucky track for us."
Considering Morgan is originally from Wales the winner is presumably named after Welsh 400 metres hurdler Dai Greene who won gold at last year's World Championships in Daegu while he finished fourth in the Olympic Final last week in London.
(On-course reporting by Thomas Weekes)
