Finding Joy gains second win this month for touring Hourigan

Finding Joy registered a second win this month at Downpatrick today as the Michael Hourigan trained mare landed the Dr EF Logan OBE Memorial Handicap Hurdle under jockey Trevor Ryan.

Jockey Ryan steered the daughter of Yeats to win at Kilbeggan on August 10 and the pair today followed up when beating Cappacon by three lengths.

Afterwards Hourigan took a trip down memory lane and revealed “I haven't been here for a good few years now. I saw the race and I said 'gees I'll have to go to Downpatrick and I'm driving the lorry myself'.

"I felt I had to come and when I saw the entries I really had to come and when I saw the weights I had to go now anyway and it's great to come and win.

"I was leading trainer here for monkeys years. I used to love coming here and I was coming here to win 60 quid; Frankie Fitzsimmons said 'youself and Christy Kinane kept this place going for years'.

"It would be a long trip home if you didn't win. I came up here one day and one refused to start and I had to go all the way home again, I only had one runner.

"She will probably go to Listowel for something similar.

"The way she jumps she will jump a fence. She will win one over fences and she will win over hurdles again. If she improves from five to six, next summer could be very good.

"I always thought she would win a bumper and she didn't win the one day I really fancied her in Wexford - the ground was patchy and she didn't handle it.

"I always felt she wanted a three-mile bumper!"

Quotes from Michael Graham