Edwulf in last-gasp Cup thriller
GREYHOUNDS
JOSEPH O’BRIEN pulled off a remarkable training feat as Edwulf defied the odds to win a dramatic Unibet Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown yesterday.
O’Brien brought the nine-year-old, who nearly died at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, back to his best to win one of Ireland’s prestigious chases.
Edwulf had to be treated by vets for more than an hour after the National Hunt Chase last March, when collapsing due to a lack of oxygen which affected his heart.
But there were no concerns yesterday.
The Willie Mullins-trained Killultagh Vic jumped the last in front only to fall on landing, which left four-time Leopardstown winner Outlander clear heading up the runin. But Edwulf, unloved in the market at 33-1, responded gamely to the urgings of jockey Derek O’Connor to collar the leader on the line to win by a neck.
Djakadam stayed on three lengths back in third, while 9-4 favourite Our Vic made a bad mistake at the second last and never recovered to finish a distant fourth.
“He’s always been a great horse,” said O’Brien.
“It’s a credit to everyone involved – the staff at home, the vets at Cheltenham last year, JP McManus and Frank Berry, who gave him all the time in the world.
“It’s been a long road to get him back from where he was at Cheltenham when we thought he was gone. It’s not too often you get a horse good enough to run in the Gold Cup so if he’s well, I’d imagine he might go there.” O’Connor hoisted the Irish Gold Cup, below, and said: “I never had a horse do what he did. “He ran himself into the ground for me at Cheltenham and we thought his career was over but he’s coming back to his best.” Samcro confirmed his position as one of the star juvenile hurdlers of the season with a crushing five-and-ahalf-length rout of his rivals in the Grade One Deloitte Novice Hurdle earlier on the card.
Despite being dropped back to two miles by trainer Gordon Elliott, the 4-6 favourite cruised to an easy win under Jack Kennedy ahead of Duc Des Genievres with Paloma Blue.
“The horse was great,” said Elliott about the six-year-old who is 1-2 to win a race at the Festival next month. “He’s opened up a lot of doors and I’d say we can go any road with him now.”
Monalee stayed on to win the Grade One Flogas Novice Chase for Henry De Bromhead, while Mullins rounded off the Dublin Racing Festival meeting with his seventh winner over the two days after Relegate and Katie Walsh took the Bumper.
Mullins scored a four-timer on Saturday with a treble yesterday with Mr Adjudicator and the wellbacked Total Recall.