Image © Healy Racing
There was great excitement to the closing stages of the Boardsmill Sires maiden hunters chase at Downpatrick, with stablemates Cause For Comment and Asphalt Cowboy battling it out all the way to the line with the latter just prevailing by half a length.
Michael Sharpe who was doing the steering had to hang on as his saddled slipped and he lost an iron after the second last but the pair managed to hang on under an inspired ride.
It was a first winner under rules for Sharpe who has been based with the winning trainer Sonny Carey since he was young.
An elated Sharpe remarked afterwards: ‘That was great, the saddle slipping, it helped liven him a little anyways, I was just delighted to get my first winner on the track.’
‘When I jumped the second last, I felt the saddle go, so I kicked out my right foot but my left wouldn’t come out, so just about hung on and just hit the line when I needed to. So I just kept plucking away and he kept picking up for me, he is not a horse that would blow you away in a finish, he just does enough but he did plenty there today for me.’
‘I am not sure what the plan is now, myself and Sonny will have to sit down and have a chat about it’, added Sharpe.
