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Michael Graham

Michael Graham

O'Brien fires in a winner with National Guard

Sat 24th Aug 2019, 14:32

National Guard, right, in winning formNational Guard, right, in winning form
© Photo Healy Racing

Aidan O'Brien's National Guard finished off best of all to land the rated race in Killarney by half a length.

He was ridden in third with a furlong to race as Equitant swept into the lead. Sky Seven split the pair in second but it was National Guard who knuckled down to his task to get on terms with Equitant in the final 100 yards.

The 5/1 co favourite found that bit more in the closing stages to prevail from the 7/1 runner-up.

Equitant had been popular in morning trading as his price halved from 7/1 to 7/2 but it was a different story at the track.

Sky Seven, another 5/1 co favourite, couldn't sustain his challenge deep in the final furlong and finished third, a further three quarters of a length away.

Jockey Seamie Heffernan said: "He is (rated) 84 on the page but is showing us that he is more than an 84 horse. He is a lot stronger than than on his work."

Additional reporting by Tom Weekes

1st
5/1Cfav
Tote €6.90 €2.10
2nd
0.5L
7/1
€2.60
3rd
0.75L
5/1Cfav
€2.00
4th
2L
10/1
bf
1.25L
5/1Cfav
About Michael Graham
Michael has worked in horse racing journalism for more than 15 years, having also written a weekly betting column on Gaelic football and hurling for a newspaper. He is involved in writing the My Racing Story features on this website. He spent a year in South Africa completing a Diploma in Business Administration and also studied Newspaper Journalism in Belfast. He enjoys playing 5-a-side football on a regular basis.