Michael McElhone, who gave up his licence for a time, saddled his first winner since July 2008 when Dooney Rock gave a great display of jumping and staying-power under Barry Cash in the Costa Coffee Dock Rated Hurdle at Fairyhouse.
A winner at Killarney in May 2010 when under the care of Niall Moran (with whom McElhone worked when not training in his own right) Dooney Rock was well-fancied for this two and a half-miler (7/1 this morning into 5/1) and he preceded to go out and make all.
Cash asked the successful Luso gelding to go and win his race from before the second last and the eight-year-old, equipped with cheek-pieces, responded generously, going on to beat Good Fella by three and three parts of a length. There was seventeen lengths back to Sweet Shock in third and the un-fancied Our Monty coming off a 787 day break, ran satisfactorily to be fourth.
Sligo handler McElhone enthused after: "He's a wonderful little horse and I couldn't be more delighted for Eddie (husband of winning owner Mrs Rita McAllister).
"Dooney Rock is out of the first winner (Cormac Lady) that I ever trained.
"I can take no credit for the win though, my wife Anne rides him out every day – she does the whole thing.
"He's an outdoor horse – he never comes in. He's a wind-sucker and he's thrived since we've put him out.
"It's been the ambition of a lifetime to have a runner at Cheltenham and this lad will go there for the Pertemps if he gets in. We'd love to go with him and he was fifth in the qualifier at Leopardstown." (GC & EM)
