Croke Park and Sam Ewing jump the last© Photo Healy Racing
Croke Park (22/1) caused another big-race upset at Fairyhouse today as trainer Gordon Elliott's expensive gelding landed the Grade 1 Bar One Racing Drinmore Novice Chase, to provide successful connections with mixed emotions.
Yesterday's leg break suffered by champion jockey Jack Kennedy resulted in Elliott booking Keith Donoghue to ride even-money favourite Firefox in the race, with the trainer's stand-in rider Sam Ewing surprisingly staying with outsider - but eventual winner, Croke Park.
In the race, Croke Park made all the running and while strongly pressed in the closing stages, held on for a neck win over Heart Wood . Firefox finished an unlucky third, finishing a short-head further away having been short of room racing along the inside in the home straight, with Gorgeous Tom another half-length behind in fourth.
Following a power-packed finish, successful jockey Sam Ewing expressed himself to be 'gutted' for best friend Kennedy, and regarding today's arrangements, Elliott explained “Michael (O'Leary, owner of Croke Park) had asked if I wanted Sam to get off Croke Park and on Firefox, but I didn't think it was fair as both owners (O'Leary and Noel Moran's Bective Stud - Firefox) have a lot of horses in my yard.
“You have to be fair to every owner and I just didn't feel it was the right thing to take him off Croke Park: Sam might have been disappointed but that's the game we're in and you saw what happened.”
Elliott, whose first Grade 1 success came in the 2010 renewal of today's race, added “Croke Park probably won an average enough beginners chase here the last day and I didn't know if the form was good enough, but that's why I run them in these races. Sometimes people say I shouldn't run as many but if you're not in you can't win and that's what racing is about - this lad was 22/1.
“Sam gave him a great ride and those are the races you want to see - there were four or five within a couple of lengths jumping the last. They went steady but it was a great race.
“I thought Henry's horse (Heart Wood) would make the running and that Sam would sit second but with those jockeys if you are telling them what to do, you are telling them wrong. I just leave it to themselves.”
He added “my three horses ran great races: Firefox was only beaten a neck and a short-head and Shecouldbeanything was only beaten a couple of lengths. On another day any of the horses could have won it.
“Croke Park has been disappointing up until now to be honest and he wasn't cheap (£400,000), but thankfully he's got his Grade 1 now.”
Elliott's phone gave a timely tinkle and he revealed: “it's Denis Murphy, who sold him to us! They always ring when they win but when they lose they normally don't! Denis tries to put us right as much as he can and I'm delighted he won.”
Regarding third-placed Firefox he added “you're always disappointed when you don't win but I won the race so I'm happy.
“I'll be bringing him back to two miles and using his stride. I probably tried to ride him for too much pace there today and it didn't work. He didn't run a bad race but he got beat, that's horseracing.”
Quotes from Gary Carson
