200/1 OUTSIDER KILLAHARA Castle pulled off a stunning victory in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Boreen Belle Mares’ Novice Hurdle at Thurles.
The six-year-old defeated Willie Mullins’ 8/13 race favourite True Self by five lengths, to become the biggest-priced winner in Irish history.
Killahara Castle belongs to the Burke family in Hollycross, Tipperary – trainer John, his sister and owner Elaine, and his brother and jockey Martin.
100-1 was the previous biggest winning price in Ireland, with Miss Therese in the 1973 Blandford Stakes at the Curragh the most prominent winner.
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There have been other 200/1 winners in Britain, including Dandy Flame’s at Wolverhampton last year, which was the joint-second-longest winner in British racing history.
The longest-priced ever in Britain was 250/1 shot Equinoctial at Kelso in November 1990.
Speaking to the Racing Post after the unlikely victory, jockey Martin Burke said:
“We were hoping for a bit of black type, and to be honest we hoped the race would break up a bit better than it did, but we threw her in anyway.
“She’s always had rakes of ability but her head is funny and it was just a matter of trying to get it out of her.”
He added: They went a good gallop, they came back and she just kept galloping. The smaller field suited her too. She usually races very keenly but settled lovely for me today, everything went right.”
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200/1 outsider romps home to victory in stunning upset at Thurles
200/1 OUTSIDER KILLAHARA Castle pulled off a stunning victory in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Boreen Belle Mares’ Novice Hurdle at Thurles.
The six-year-old defeated Willie Mullins’ 8/13 race favourite True Self by five lengths, to become the biggest-priced winner in Irish history.
Killahara Castle belongs to the Burke family in Hollycross, Tipperary – trainer John, his sister and owner Elaine, and his brother and jockey Martin.
100-1 was the previous biggest winning price in Ireland, with Miss Therese in the 1973 Blandford Stakes at the Curragh the most prominent winner.
There have been other 200/1 winners in Britain, including Dandy Flame’s at Wolverhampton last year, which was the joint-second-longest winner in British racing history.
The longest-priced ever in Britain was 250/1 shot Equinoctial at Kelso in November 1990.
Speaking to the Racing Post after the unlikely victory, jockey Martin Burke said:
“We were hoping for a bit of black type, and to be honest we hoped the race would break up a bit better than it did, but we threw her in anyway.
“She’s always had rakes of ability but her head is funny and it was just a matter of trying to get it out of her.”
He added: They went a good gallop, they came back and she just kept galloping. The smaller field suited her too. She usually races very keenly but settled lovely for me today, everything went right.”
The42 has just published its first book, Behind The Lines, a collection of some of the year’s best sports stories. Pick up your copy in Eason’s, or order it here today (€10):
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2001 Horseracing Killahara Castle Unlikely Winner Willie Mullins