18+ | Commercial Content | T&Cs apply | Wagering and T&Cs apply | Play Responsibly | Advertising Disclosure
icon
Michael Graham

Michael Graham

Robe Of Honour and Hoban time it just right

Fri 3rd Mar 2017, 20:33

Robe Of Honour, noseband, just prevails from Nivvo, yellow capRobe Of Honour, noseband, just prevails from Nivvo, yellow cap
© Photo Healy Racing

Robe of Honour pipped Nivvo by a nose in a thrilling finish to Dundalk's one mile maiden.

Michael Halford 's Robe Of Honour went off 7/4 favourite on the back of a debut runner-up performance on the polytrack that was laden with promise.

The Godolphin gelding held a good position under Conor Hoban as they left the stalls, After racing third, they soon settled in fourth.

Willie Byrne sent Elusive Approach on after two furlongs and the pair poached a healthy four-length lead with three furlongs to negotiate.

Byrne had a couple of peeks over his shoulder as the race hotted up in the final quarter of a mile. His mount boxed on but she was swallowed up by the closers in the final furlong.

Nivvo (9/1) and Robe Of Honour charged past and were locked together in the closing stages with Robe Of Honour just getting up. The Invisible Dog (11/4) was half a length behind the battle for first place.

Conor Hoban said: "I always thought I was holding him. He battled very well and ran the whole way to the line.

“He loves the surface and learned a lot from the first day. He had a lovely run here the last day when he finished second.

“He came forward from that and it was great to win with him. Hopefully he'll progress again.”

Additional reporting by Gary Carson

1st
7/4Fav
Tote €2.90 €1.20
2nd
nose
9/1
€2.40
3rd
0.5L
11/4
€1.20
4th
hd
4/1
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.