From left to right; Harry Kelly, Jim Payne (member of the winning One For The Ditch Syndicate) and Davy Condon © Photo Healy Racing
The well-backed Railway Icon made it third time lucky over hurdles, as he took the Follow Us On Twitter Maiden providing his rider Davy Condon with a double on the card. Trained by Harry Kelly, the six-year-old son of Flemensfirth opened on-course at 11/2 but was heavily supported and went off the 3/1 second favourite. After racing in mid-division he made headway into fifth at the third last and was soon ridden into second. He hit the front approaching the final flight, keeping on well on the run-in to score by two and a quarter lengths. Minella Fiveo (14/1) kept on well to take second under Sean McDermott for John Nallen, while the 7/4 favourite Drumfire could only manage a disappointing third, three and a half lengths back under Davy Russell for Eoin Griffin.
Harry Kelly said afterwards: "Things didn’t go right for him at Punchestown (finished seventh on his last start). "He didn’t see the first three hurdles and things didn’t happened for him after that. "We had him entered in the two mile and three mile maiden hurdles this evening but we decided to go for this one. "He is bred to stay and I thought he would go very close. "We will stick to the bigger tracks with him and I don’t think he would handle Galway. "He might go for a winners hurdle back here after Galway. "It looks as though our mare in the last (Kauto Mill Rose) broke down, and she would have loved the ground." Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes
