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Mark Nunan

Mark Nunan

No heartbreak for supporters of Curling's winner

Fri 14th Apr 2023, 20:35

I Wont Back DownI Wont Back Down
© Photo Healy Racing

The easy-to-back 5/2 favourite I Wont Back Down was a ready seven-length winner of the DPD Mayo Depot Flat Race.

The Champs Elysees gelding, who finished sixth at Thurles last month when also heading the betting, was always prominent and led travelling best on the approach to the straight before stretching clear under Derek O'Connor. Desert Halo was best of the rest with Smokey Putnam in third place.

Winning trainer Sam Curling: "We thought he'd do that the first day and I'd say he was just very babyish. His work has been very good all the way. Derek said he was still very babyish all the way here and will appreciate a bit better ground. We bought him at the Land Rover Sale and he's a smashing horse. He'll go to the sales this summer.

On his Kim Muir winner Angels Dawn, he added: "She ran well in the Irish National and it probably came a bit soon for her but we felt we had to take our chance. She'll be off on her holidays soon and we'll aim her at something like the Thyestes next season."

About Mark Nunan
Mark has followed racing since he was a teenager and worked for many years as a broadcaster with the Irish version of Racecall. He joined the Press Association in 2019 and is also a contributor to the Racing Post. A native of Kildare, he now lives in Sligo.