Grizabella and Paddy Hanlon © Photo Healy Racing
Young Paddy Hanlon continued a fine season when riding his fifth winner under rules when easily landing Division ll of the Wexford Heritage Trails Handicap Hurdle aboard Grizabella for his father, Shark Hanlon.
Although her sole success prior to tonight had come in a Fairyhouse Claimer on the flat back in 2022, the Bobby's Kitten mare had run well on more than one occasion since switching her attention to hurdling.
Travelling easily throughout, the mare went fifth after the third last, then produced a real burst of speed to sweep through to lead on the run to two out.
Soon clear of her rivals, the five-year-old kept on strongly for a three length win.
Shark Hanlon: "I told Paddy to just go as wide as you can everywhere. When he came in he said out where he was the ground was much better. I'd say they watered the inside of it and when they do that it's soft and she is a lot better on good ground. She is very free and I told him to jump out last and go wide. If he was any wider going down the back he would have been out on the road!
"It's great to win for the lads and it's great for Paddy too. He is after having loads of placed horses in the last few weeks and there is nothing I could say he done wrong, that's just the quality of the horses I have and they all want good ground.
"Galway is next week and hopefully I'll have a few good spins for him there as well. He is riding well, he doesn't panic but at times you'd like to give him a kick in the bum. He is a good chap to get a horse to jump and he knows that filly is free so he kept her away from everything. That was the winning and losing of the race today.
"I had a filly that Patrick Mullins rode in Tipperary a few weeks ago and he kept her to outside for the better ground. He got a lot of abuse for the ride and lads said what was he at, but he was on a good ground filly and there was no good ground down the inside so he went out as wide as he could and she ran a cracker."
Additional reporting by Donal Murphy
