Eleven year old Diggin Deep gained a first fences win today, narrowly landing Sligo's Owenmore Handicap Chase for farrier pair, trainer Paul Fahey and owner Killian Carroll.

Successful four times over hurdles previously, veteran Diggin Deep was today ridden by Brian Hayes and indeed battled gamely to hold off the late challenges of Zagnzig and Still Alive

Part-time trainer Fahey employs Carroll in his full-time farrier business and following the race Fahey joked “I ride him out every morning and if he’s in the right humour, you wouldn’t want to have been out the night before!”

He added “we found a little problem after his last run but we weren’t sure whether that stopped him or not. The vets looked at him and treated him and it seems to have worked.

“The ground is very important to him and I said to Brian (Hayes) to try and keep him out off the poached ground.

“These low grade handicappers are the hardest horses to train because you cannot get in the day you want. Three miles would have been better for him but we said we’d come here today because we’re running out of time for the year.

“There’s a race for him in Listowel if the ground stays right for him.”

Quotes from Mark Nunan