Joseph O'Brien© Photo Healy Racing
Joseph O’Brien completed a near 195/1 four-timer as he partnered Elusive Time to victory in the Shillelagh & District Hunt Branch Of The Irish Pony Club Handicap for trainer Takashi Kodama.
The six-year-old son of Elusive City joined Kodama last year and he wasn’t beaten far in a competitive handicap at Dundalk on his last start.
Sent off at 20/1 today he was prominent throughout and he was ridden from the two furlong pole.
He got to the front just inside the final furlong and he kept on well from there to score by three parts of a length. Ramone kept on well in the closing stages to take second at 25/1 under Leigh Roche for Bill Farrell while Dynamite Dixie was a neck back in third under Kevin Manning for Jim Bolger at 14/1. Doc Holliday (12/1) completed the placings a further half a length back in fourth under Robbie Downey for Eddie Lynam while Pit Stop who went off the heavily backed 2/1 favourite (5’s this morning and from 3’s on-course), could only manage seventh.
Takashi Kodama, who was recording his first winner at the Curragh, said afterwards: "He was a champion sprinter in Scandanavia but you wouldn't need as much speed there as you would over here. I have found that he stays seven furlongs and a mile, and I may even try him over ten furlongs now."
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
