Irradiate (nearside) challenges Grandmaster Flash© Photo Healy Racing
Joseph O’Brien completed a quickfire double at Dundalk as Irradiate just touched off better-fancied stablemate Grandmaster Flash in a thrilling finish to the Irishinjuredjockeys.com Handicap.
The 20/1 chance was given a fine ride by Mikey Sheehy as the teenager partnered his sixth winner on the O’Brien family’s home-bred daughter of Australia.
Declan McDonogh, who teamed up with O’Brien to take the opener on Dark Vader looked set to follow up on Ggandmaster Flash but the well-backed 15/8 favourite was just pipped on the line in this two miles stamina test.
The top-weight Lever Du Soleil finished three and a half lengths adrift in third.
O’Brien has now edged one ahead of Michael Halford and Ado McGuinness in the Crowne Plaza Leading Trainer Championship for 2019 with 20 winners.
The Piltown trainer’s assistant Brendan Powell said, “She had some okay form in maidens and when she ran here the last time over a mile and a quarter Shane Crosse said I think she’ll stay a mile and a half easy.
“She stayed really well and hopefully will go on from that. She didn’t have a lot of weight on her back and it was important to get a win into her.”
Sheehy said, “The step up in trip suited her. She travelled everywhere I wanted her to go and she was good and tough in the straight and galloped right to the line.”
