Avondale and Bill Lee© Photo Healy Racing
Jockey Bill Lee completed a Roscommon treble today, filling-in for the winning ride on owner/trainer Barry Connell's Avondale (6/1) in the concluding Sean Cleary Memorial Handicap.
Lee was earlier successful on maidens J'adore Chris and Counterculture and replaced injured Seamie Heffernan on Avondale which raced prominently before stretching clear of his rivals over a furlong out, scoring by 1.5 lengths from Wisdomofhindsight
Connell commented “I'd say soft ground probably suited him. He's a big horse, by Gleneagles, he's had a run over hurdles and we bought him as a dual purpose horse. He had never run on that ground before but all he does is gallop. The way the race panned out, he was able to use his stride.
“He hasn't that much racing done but looks like a national hunt horse and you could see him jumping a fence. We'll keep him going on the Flat for this campaign as he's only four and we'll keep him a maiden (over jumps) until next summer.”
He added “we'll probably step him up in trip. If he goes up a bit more he might get into one of those better races off bottom weight. It was grand to get that done after the last day, everywhere he went he got murdered.”
The treble moves jockey Lee to 61 winners this season and, lying second in the jockeys' championship, is 13 short of leader Colin Keane.
Quotes from Gary Carson
