Patrick Sarsfield routs rivals in finale

Patrick Sarsfield was the heavily supported winning 6/5 favourite of the concluding TRI Equestrian Handicap at Leopardstown today as the Joseph O'Brien trained gelding bolted up under jockey Declan McDonogh.

The four year old son of Australia was a 4/1 chance when the race was priced-up yesterday evening, was a 7/4 chance this morning before being backed in to strong 6/5 favouritism at the off.

In the race Patrick Sarsfield left his 12 rivals for dead with a furlong to race and was eased close home in his five lengths rout of runner-up Charcor

Trainer O'Brien's assistant Brendan Powell later stated “it was a nice performance. He's done it well and Declan said he was very uncomplicated.

“He said he didn't feel like he quickened and he was amazed when he got to the line the distance he put between them.

“He's a big horse so you'd like to think he'd improve again for it, in every way. He hasn't had much racing in his life.

“You'd like to think there is going to be a nice race in him somewhere along the line. He's genuine, tough, and sound so that's the main thing.

“When he won last year they put him away. He was supposed to run in the Lincoln but didn't get in.

“Whether he'd have won that or not we'll never know. The winner is a very good horse but off the weight he had there you'd say he would have had a chance.

“Hopefully he'll go on to bigger and better things.”

Seventeenth century Patrick Sarsfield was a Irish Jacobite solider whose name has been in the news in the past week, with calls for the repatriation of his remains to Limerick from Belgium.

Quotes from Gary Carson