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Michael Graham

Michael Graham

Rockshandy a first for Barron

Sat 17th Sep 2016, 17:20

Rockshandy and Ray Barron do it from the frontRockshandy and Ray Barron do it from the front
© Photo Healy Racing

Rockshandy was game from the front as he saw them all off in the two mile one handicap chase at Listowel.

Ray Barron sent him into an early lead but the pair looked vulnerable to the closers coming to the second last.

Rockshandy refused to yield though and met the last on a good stride. Not For You tried to catch him on the run-in but Rockshandy kept finding and passed the post a length and three parts to the good at 16/1 from 20s.

Not For You, the 5/2 favourite, had to settle for third with Kilcrea a further length and a half back in third.

Trainer Patrick Neville's Rightville Boy was second in Wednesday's Kerry National and he said: "I've been dreaming about winning it (the Kerry National) a lifetime - it's our Gold Cup and to get nabbed on the line, you'd have be delighted and disappointed at the same time.

"I'm delighted the horse (Rightville Boy) is in great order and he'll run at Limerick next (Munster National).

"Where he (Rockshandy) goes will all depends on the ground - he wants goodish ground and thankfully it was drying out lovely for him in the past few days.

He added: "Ray (Barron) gave him a brilliant ride - he's a great young fella and schools a few horses for me. He's with a great teacher Enda Bolger and does what he's told and will get places."

Barron (24) is based with Bolger and Charles Byrnes and today was his first first racecourse winner, having ridden 10 point-to-point wins.

Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes

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.