Bob Cigar provides Cullentra team with yet another success

The winners just keep on rolling for Gordon Elliott and the master of Cullentra House made it 37 winners in the past three weeks when Bob Cigar made virtually all to land the Fox Valet Retirement Handicap Hurdle.

The Westerner gelding, a 4/1 chance, asserted approaching the final flight under Jack Kennedy and kept on well on the run-in to beat Western Zara by a length and a quarter. Cher Why Not was a further two and a quarter lengths back in third with Ballycashin completing the places in fourth.

Elliott said, “He’s a grand horse. We thought he might not be fit enough and Jack said he had a bit of a blow and he’ll come on from it.”

The race title marked the retirement of the Fox family’s valet business from the weigh room.

Jimmy Fox started the family business after the second world war and passed it on to his son Dave who was in attendance along with his sons Paul and Robert who continued things up to the present day.