EDWULF SEALS GOLDEN RETURN
33/1 shot wins a year after brush with death
EDWULF, whose life looked in danger at worst and his racing career over at best when he collapsed at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, produced a Lazarus-like comeback with victory in yesterday’s Irish Gold Cup.
The Joseph O’Brien-trained nine-year-old was on the ground for 40 minutes after collapsing from oxygen deprivation when pulled up in the National Hunt Chase last March.
But after a neck defeat of Outlander under amateur jockey Derek O’Connor at odds of 33-1, he looks likely to return to the Cotswolds next month to run in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
O’Brien said: ‘It’s been a long road to get him back here and I can’t believe he has won.
‘You don’t get much worse (than what happened last year). He ran out of oxygen. When he was on the ground the vets said he might not come back but he did. I can’t stress enough the job they did with him.
‘It is not too often you get a horse good enough to run in a Gold Cup, so if he was well I imagine he would go there.’
As part of his recuperation, Edwulf, who had pulled up on his seasonal comeback at Christmas, spent time at the stud of owner JP McManus.
O’Brien’s runner was returned at 33-1 but at one stage was priced at 100-1. Edwulf’s chances were helped by the last-fence fall of Killultagh Vic, when he was still just in front. A bad mistake two out also put paid to the chances of 9-4 favourite Our Duke, who plugged on for fourth.
Samcro guaranteed his name will be on the lips of every Irish punter at Cheltenham when he extended his winning sequence to seven in the Grade One Deloitte Novices’ Hurdle.
Trainer Gordon Elliott and owner Michael O’Leary attempted to play down the buzz surrounding the chestnut but the win over two miles and his previous victories over further mean Samcro will start hot favourite for whatever novice hurdle he lines up in.
Sponsors Sky Bet make Samcro 6-4 favourite for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and 8-11 favourite for the longer Ballymore Properties Novices’ Hurdle.
After Samcro had easily brushed aside Duc Des Genievres by five-and-a-half lengths under jockey Jack Kennedy, O’Leary said: ‘It’s nice to have one as good as him. Hopefully he will keep going the right way. The problem now will be keeping the bloody hype down.’
Henry de Bromhead’s Monalee will also have an army of fans for the RSA Chase after he landed the Grade One Flogas Novices’ Chase under Noel Fehily.
The fall of Killultagh Vic, Faugheen’s second behind Jessica Harrington’s Supasundae in the Irish Champion Hurdle and the disappointing run of Yorkhill were the negatives of the inaugural Dublin Racing Festival for trainer Willie Mullins, who still had seven wins from the 15 races, including a return to winning ways for Min, who saw off Simply Ned by 12 lengths.