Sixteen year old Sam Ewing© Photo Healy Racing
Sixteen year old Sam Ewing rode his first winner at Cork today as the son of prominent point-to-point handler Warren Ewing steered grand type Ardhoomey to win the Doneraile Handicap for trainer Ger Lyons.
Apprentice jockey Ewing partnered over 100 winners in flapping circles, including the 'blue riband' Dingle Derby as a 13 year old in 2017 and today displayed good riding ability in producing Ardhoomey from behind the leaders to lead close home and score a three parts of a length win over My Laureate
Trainer Lyons was represented by his brother and assistant Shane Lyons who was delighted with the success and stated “Sam, 16, is a great little kid who joined us this year and I worked with his father in Micky Hammond's 30 years ago.
“He has great and natural feedback, is a good kid and if he doesn't get any bigger or greedier like his father he has a chance!”
Regarding Ardhoomey, he added “fair play to Ardhoomey but most of the credit goes to Colin (Keane, stable jockey) and Gary (Carroll, second jockey) as they have been telling the boss man they have to claim off him but he (trainer Lyons) has bottled it up until now.
“He's a difficult horse in the stalls - he is so lightning fast that if he sees any daylight under his hood, he'll go through walls and full credit goes to the stall handlers as they looked after Sam. They had a man with him in the stall who whipped off the hood as the stalls opened, so credit to them.
“He (Ardhoomey) is too good for pace-making at home but does provide a good guide for Siskin; if he could breathe we'd have fancied him for a Guineas as he had a wind op' at two and again at three and four.
“As a foal he was bottle fed by his owner/breeder John Quinn, from Kilcock but he is the type of horse who has a presence and you'd always look to buy the likes of him at the sales. ”
