Madden's horse surprises at 16s Gordon Elliott looked to have a stranglehold on the Sheridan Electric Hurdle with 8/11 shot Vercingetorix, and Hostile Fire at 6/4, but Iggy Madden's Esta Quercus stepped in to provide a 16/1 surprise under Adrian Heskin at Ballinrobe. After front-runner Hostile Fire dropped away to finish sixth, it boiled down to a battle from the last between Vercingetorix and Esta Quercus, with the latter pulling out enough to get the verdict by a head. They left A Great View seven lengths back in third. "He battled and the other fella didn't. I think it was a slow run race and he showed his flat pace. That'll pay some of the bills," commented Madden. "He's a hardy horse and he'll probably go back on the flat where a mile and two is probably his trip." (DM & EM)
