Sligo connections to Champion Bumper winner at Cheltenham
THERE were big celebrations locally in Sligo last week when jockey Katie Walsh raced to the finish line on board Relegate on day two of the Cheltenham Festival on Wednesday.
Relegate came from the back of the field to win the race at 25/1 and it was a 1-2-3 finish for trainer Willie Mullins who was having a stormer for the Irish at the festival.
The owner is Paul (Padraig) McKeon who is from Conway’s Cross near Sooey.
Many shrewd punters in the region had backed the 25/1 Rel- egate who brought Mullins his 9th winner of the bumper with Carefully Selected, from the same stable, in second place.
Mullins said Katie had actually sold him Carefully Selected and laughed that she went on to beat him.
He said the Cheltenham winner was a lovely pedigree and praised her owner McKeon along with Colm Murphy for hitting the jackpot.
It was McKeon’s first winner at the festival which was dominated by the Irish.