Here For The Craic is driven out by Declan Queally to beat Waylander in second© Photo Healy Racing
The Ken Budds trained, Here For The Craic ran out a shock 25/1 winner of the bumper at Cork this evening, the Social Package INH Flat Race.
The six-year-old son of Millenary finished a well beaten eleventh on his racecourse debut in a bumper at Gowran in April of 2011 before going point-to-pointing the following year.
His best of three point-to-point efforts came at Kilworth in March of last year where he finished third, just seven lengths off the winner Witness In Court.
He returned to the track at Navan in September where he made his hurdling debut, finishing a well beaten seventeenth behind Captain Arceus.
Running for the first time since that Navan effort, he chased the leaders for much of the contest and he was ridden into second over two furlongs out.
He led a furlong from home and he kept on well from there under Declan Queally, to win by two and three parts of a length at the line. Waylander attempted to make all under Pat Collins for Eoin Doyle but he had no answer once passed by the winner and he had to settle for second at 7/1 while the Dick Lalor trained Can Mestret ran well on his track debut to finish eight lengths back in third at 33/1. Thekingofconnemara was sent off the 4/1 favourite under Jane Mangan for Liz Doyle but he could only manage fifth.
Ken Budds, who trains in Tallow, Co Waterford, said afterwards; "He is a nice horse but he had a lot of trouble as a youngster and he only came right in the last few weeks.
"He didn’t get in at Roscommon on Monday but I was just as happy because he likes quick ground.
"He’ll go for a winners bumper now and he will be kept on the go. He’ll go hurdling soon.
"His owner is John Connery from Villierstown in Co Wateford."
Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes
