Alhajjaj caused a 16/1 upset when comfortably defying top weight to win the Dundalk Stadium Business Club Handicap (div 1) at Dundalk today for trainer Anthony McCann and jockey Jonathan Moore.

The son of Cacique raced prominently throughout and in the end went clear of his rivals with a furlong to race and eventually beat Sleepy Head by four and three parts of a length.

McCann later commented “he was very unfortunate here the last night when the saddle slipped on him. We always thought a lot of him from his win (for Andrew Balding) in Wolverhampton.

“He’s had a few setbacks but we waited as we knew he was a good horse.”

Winning owner Rita Shah, who operates the Shabra Group, was named Ireland’s Business Woman of the Year at the inaugural Irish Women’s Awards in Blanchardstown earlier this week.

Quotes from Alan Magee