Lucky Icon (right) comes with his effort at the last© Photo Healy Racing
Lucky Icon was a shock 50/1 winner of the Sheridan Electric Hurdle, scoring under Danny Mullins for his uncle Tom.
The son of Sixties Icon beat only two horses on his first three starts on the level, but was gelded since his last run in January of 2017.
Settled in rear under a keen hold, he made progress from three out, and travelled smoothly in fourth after the next.
He came with his effort on the outer at the last, and soon led, keeping on well under pressure from there to score easily by five and a half lengths. Waterville Dancer (7/1) got the better of Conron (11/4 to 9/4) in the battle for second, with half a length between them at the line. Eoline Jolie was sent off the 11/8 favourite, and she finished fourth under David Mullins for his uncle Willie.
Owned and bred by Helen Mullins, wife of the successful trainer, the winner is out of Sauterelle, who won three times for the same connections, scoring on the level at Ballinrobe back in 2004.
"It's a surprise. We knew he had ability but we couldn't get him to perform on the track as a two-year-old or a three-year-old," said the winning handler.
"I'd suppose he likes the hurdles.
"He was very free there and free at home and we were just tacking him in there behind today and getting him settled. If anything came it was a bonus after that, and it did come and that was it really.
"Looking at him going to the last I said he'll blow up or something but sure maybe he's decent.
"There were winners in it and he hadn't run for 507 days. I thought it was maybe a year or nine months since he'd run - but he was off nearly a year and a half as it turns out.
"He'll go in a winners of one and maybe Galway."
STEWARDS REPORT
S.W. Flanagan, rider of April Shadow trained by David Harry Kelly, reported to the Clerk of Scales that his mount hung badly left before being pulled up.
Additional reporting by Eamonn Murphy
