Never Said That (left) and Royal Chief (grey) get very close in the closing stages, with Behemoth in third© Photo Healy Racing
Never Said That got up in the closing stages to take the www.tramore-racecourse.com Handicap Hurdle, scoring under Phillip Enright for Eddie Cawley.
The six-year-old son of Gold Well was making his handicap debut this evening, and he was backed on-course from 12’s into 8’s (was available at 14/1 last night). Royal Chief was sent off the 10/3 favourite for Eoin Doyle and Mikey Butler and while he led from the eighth, he couldn’t hold off the challenge of the winner on the run-in, going down by a neck at the line. Behemoth (7/2) was a length and a half back in third under Jonathon Burke for Paul Nolan, while Baidin Fheilimi (14/1) completed the placings a further neck back in fourth under Pierce Gallagher for Patrick Cronin.
Eddie Cawley said afterwards: “We like him. He ran in point-to-point's but he was disappointing.
"His full-brother (Forever Gold) won at Roscommon for me last week. I couldn’t get anything out of him last year, and I would have let him go for very little.
"Once the better ground came around in the spring he started improving. Hopefully he will put together a few wins now.
"He is in again at Kilbeggan on Sunday which is a bit quick, but we will see. We will play it by ear and see how things go."