Sirius and David Dunsdon © Photo Healy Racing
Sirius caused a 50/1 shock when showing a powerful burst from off the pace in the straight under David Dunsdon to land the €110,000 Connacht Hotel (Q.R.) Handicap, the highlight on the opening evening of the Galway Festival.
The mare was bought at Arqana for 95,000 guineas to join Willie Mullins and was absent for nearly two years before finishing towards the rear at the Curragh last month.
However, she showed the benefit of that outing when coming from well off the pace here and produced very wide into the straight.
The five-year-old really picked up inside the final furlong and finished to such effect that she had three and a half lengths to spare over the front-running Baltic Bird Spasiba was a further length and a half back in third with Lord Erskine completing the places in fourth.
An emotional David Dunsdon said, “I kind of think of this as like the Melbourne Cup for amateur jockeys being two miles and a handicap.
“I’m so thankful to Willie and his team, to Harold (Kirk) for buying the mare and for everyone’s advice. I’m just so lucky.
“I didn’t ride for four years. I had a family, came out of retirement and this was the dream.
“I was going to try and jump out and be handy, but the mare was looking a bit left and I missed the kick. I said I’ve got to relax now, and Willie said to try and find your way through.
“I edged out coming down the hill and it’s amazing when you ride horses for Willie how fit they are. It’s like you have Mo Farah in the last furlong!”
When asked if he was surprised Mullins said: “To say the least!
“David asked me to look out for a horse for him to ride in this race, to try and win it, and that was two years ago.
“I thought David had retired in the meantime but obviously he had come back and ridden a few. He rides out with Gary Moore to stay fit.
“He actually never sat on her before, he was supposed to come over and ride her out and never did. It's tremendous.
“David was champion Fegentri rider, which is European champion amateur rider, a few years back.
“He's a fitness fanatic and keeps himself very fit. He bought a horse and put it in with Gary Moore, he's had a few rides this year. Race riding would get you race fit.
“I thought it was an extraordinary achievement. I'm delighted for him.
“The start didn't go well for him, he wanted to be in the first four. He didn't panic and sat where he was. He had the nerve to sit there and see what happened.
“She won easy. She had some nice form in France, she had been off the track with injury.
“It was disappointing that she got injured last year when we were trying to get her ready for this race.
“She'll probably run again here on Friday night. She handles that hill alright.”
Quotes by Gary Carson
