'We'd rather be broke that sell' - Cork winner

Dr Mikey gained a heart-warming third career win at Cork today, landing the Charleville Cheese Maiden Hurdle for adoring trainer Margaret Flynn who later slapped the ‘not for sale’ sign on the dual bumper winner.

The son of Dr Massini was today ridden to victory by jockey Barry John Foley, and the pair made all for a comfortable win over the Gordon Elliott trained Woods Well

Success from the ‘small’ man or woman is celebrated in national hunt racing and following Dr Mikey’s win, a thrilled Flynn, based in Co Waterford, revealed “he is just very highly strung and the whole thing is that he can’t get lit up and got permission to go to the start early. If he gets lit up, it is very hard to get him asleep again.

“He is actually easy to train now because he takes no work and is running every three weeks or so and I think he is way better on a sounder surface - this is loose ground and he got away with it but whether he can get away with it on real bad winter ground, I have no idea.”

She added “he’s the best we’re ever going to have and that’s all I know! I have no idea what a good horse looks like but we’re hoping to go to Cheltenham. He’ll have to win a novice somewhere (to go to Cheltenham) and I don’t know if he can.

“Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott probably have 100 of him but I have only one of him” and when asked is the gelding for sale, she quipped “a few people have asked us that and I suppose we’d rather be broke!”

The race was also very notable for Barry John Foley, who was riding his first winner in Ireland as a professional jockey and he added “that’s my first professional winner in Ireland but I rode four winners as a professional in America and also won four point to points there.

“I ride out a couple of mornings for Michael Winters and a morning with Eoin Doyle and Paul Flynn. I try to get to as many places as I can and will ride for whoever wants to use me.”

By Tom Weekes