Damut leads Carnet De Stage at the last© Photo Healy Racing
Mick Winters and Darragh O’Keeffe enjoyed a high profile win with Chatham Street Lad in the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup at Cheltenham last month and they successfully combined again with the veteran Damut in the Jossestown Handicap Chase at Clonmel.
The 13-year-old tracked the pace until sent on before two out by O’Keeffe, and he kept on gamely under pressure on the run-in to hold off Carnet De Stage by three quarters of a length and justify odds of 11/2.
The pair pulled 11 lengths clear of American Image in third.
Winters said, “Before he came back to me, Paul Moloney (who cheered the winner home on the infield) spent his time training him on the beach and my own young fella Timmy and my wife still head off with him to Beale beach (north Kerry) two or three times a week.
"Paul is stone mad for racing and trained until five years ago but like most fellows training nowadays he couldn't make the books balance. He is now driving a lorry but his heart is in racing and we also gave him another horse to bring on - his heart and soul is inside in it.
"Darragh O'Keeffe said that when he wasn't able to go on, he loved being able to take his time and was able to get a feel for him and he loved that ground.
"He is after dropping down the grades and while every day I'm talking about retiring him, he'll keep going."
(TW & AM)
