Ballyfinboy© Photo Healy Racing
Trainer Jimmy Finn was proud of his Ballyfinboy at Downpatrick today as the veteran chaser rolled back the years to gain a seventh career win in the concluding Tony Patterson Sports Grounds Handicap Chase.
The 12 year old grey son of Great Palm gained his first racecourse success back in November 2012 and had last been successful at today's venue in 2016. Today, under David Mullins, he bounced back to form when stretching clear of his rivals from the last to beat Open To The World by seven lengths.
Finn later said "he loves the job; I've thought about retiring him several times but he just seems to enjoy it and he enjoys being in work.
"I thought we might get another run out of him before the end of the season but I can't see him coming back to the track next season to be honest.
"He's home-bred and it meant a lot for him to win today. He was a little bit unlucky the last day, he unseated at the third fence in Sligo in a similar kind of race and he had perfect ground.
"I was a little bit worried about the rain but he got away with it there today. When you're in lesser company you get away with a lot of things!
"We've been lucky here this year and we've always been lucky here. There's lesser races up here and it suits the lesser horses I have."
Quotes from Michael Graham
