Steel King and Kevin Sexton© Photo Healy Racing
Steel King scored a second win of the new jumps season, and a career third, when landing the featured Leo Dolan Memorial Handicap Hurdle at Roscommon today for Galway Hurdle winning trainer Paul Flynn and jockey Kevin Sexton.
The son of Kalanisi improved to lead at the third last flight and from there battled well to beat Ballycorus, whose owner Barry Connell was bidding for a treble on the evening.
Afterwards Flynn, who rode a Cheltenham Festival winner in his time as a jockey, stated "he's not a bad old horse and is the best I have at the minute, although he hasn't much competition!
"He's tough and keeps going well but hung a little today and may have been feeling a little something.
"I was going to enter him in Sligo at the weekend but that didn't work out (running again quickly) the last day and he's going to go to Galway now and I think he'll act around the track.
"He might squeeze into the 81-123 at Galway on the Wednesday or would maybe be better going for the better race (€80,000 Labrokes Handicap Hurdle on Saturday)."
By Tom Weekes, quotes from Gary Carson