Gamble keeps race in Stewards' Room

Roadtoabbeyfeale survived a stewards' enquiry to controversially win the Oakbruce Properties Handicap Hurdle at Limerick today, landing a fair gamble in the process.

Ridden by Eddie O'Connell, the gelding (backed from 7/1 in the morning into 3/1jf) was produced with his challenge entering the straight and was upsides eventual runner-up A Decent Excuse on the run-in.

However Roadtoabbeyfeale veered towards A Decent Excuse on the run-in, leaving the runner-up (whose rider Alan Crowe wasn't forced to stop riding) with no room for manoeuvre, and in danger of being forced out of the race, against the running rail. As is almost the norm in most Irish stewards' enquiries, the result favoured the first past-the-post, despite a winning margin of just half a length.

Throwing more coal onto the fire in favour of the runner-up was the decision of the Stewards to subsequently suspend winning jockey Eddie O'Connell for six racedays, having found him in breach of Rule 214, having found him guilty of careless riding.

After the race, Roadtoabbeyfeale's trainer John Supple stated “we're based between Listowel and Limerick so Roadtoabbeyfeale is well named because he has won in both tracks now!

“He is an out and out stayer and he seems to revel in that ground. We were going to send him chasing but we'll keep hurdling him now while he's winning. He's still a raw baby so more hurdling should stand to him.”