Mickey The Steel and Conor Stone Walsh win the Cavalor Equine Nutrition Handicap© Photo Healy Racing
Having continuously frustrated as one of the better maidens in training up until October of last year, Mickey The Steel continued to make up for those reversals when showing real battling qualities to narrowly land the Cavalor Equine Nutrition Handicap at the Curragh.
Having occupied the runner-up spot on eight separate occasions earlier in his career, the Hot Streak gelding must have had connections tearing their hair out in frustration.
However, everything finally came together for the gelding at Dundalk last October when he finally got his head in front in a lowly polytrack maiden. Quickly following up on his next start back on the turf at Navan, he proved his doubters wrong with back-to-back wins.
The current season hadn't really gone to plan until the five-year-old won at Bellewstown in September but he once again showed he could back a win up by overcoming a 7lb rise this afternoon.
Stayed on strongly inside the final furlong, the Conor Stone-Walsh ridden gelding once again saw off Bellewstown runner-up Transcendental
Conor Stone-Walsh, riding his 24th winner of the season and second to Jamie Powell (28 wins) in the apprentice championship, said: “He winged the gates and travelled good. I didn’t want to make the running but I was able to sit upsides and he was able to take me wherever I needed to go.
“At the two he picked up and stayed going well to the line. He loves the ground and five on that ground is probably his ideal trip.
“That’s my first winner at the Curragh and I’m delighted to get it as I kept finishing second!”
Additional reporting by Alan Magee.
