Spirituoso springs 66/1 shock

66/1 shot Spirituoso burst through late on to grab the spoils in a Irishinjuredjockeys.com Handicap at Dundalk. Dr Patrick made a bold bid from the front in the ten furlong contest and looked set to score when still holding the advantage inside the final furlong.

Joe Doyle got a good tune from the Lee Smyth-trained filly in the closing stages, however, as she got on top late on to record a neck success.

The daughter of Charm Spirit was recording her first success for Smyth having won for George Margarson at Kempton last June.

Smyth said: "The (previous) owner wanted to sell her. I was sure that was in her. I just said to Dr David Adam 'buy this horse' as he is such a lucky owner. She was going cheap at two grand. I just said I needed to get those colours on the horse to get it to win! He's had 12 or 13 winners for me now.

"She shows plenty at home, that is why we are so annoyed with her at the races. She let down the owner who had her before quite a bit. She was second here and we thought that was going to be her day. Then she let us down after it.

"The problem was I couldn't get her into a race. The only way to get her in (with her rating) was to hope that the field wasn't full in the higher grade. She scraped in and Joe said to me in the weigh room 'you've drafted me in again' and I said to him he's the only man who gets a tune out of her! He was the only man for the job. He'll get plenty of rides off me now, I'd say. He gave her a great ride and I could watch that all day long.

"We are going to try her on the turf but she definitely wants a bit of good ground. If she never wins again, her job is done. She's a two-time winner and is a half-sister to a stakes horse over hurdles. She can go breeding.

"The plan is that everything that comes off the all-weather will try the turf this year. We want wins at any level whether they are rated 38 or 98. We have 11 riding out at the moment but would like to have more.

"Adams Barbour is up here tonight and he wins the award for the most wins (in the winter series) and that is fantastic."

(Quotes by Michael Graham)