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Michael Graham

Michael Graham

Weld and Smullen double up with Hellenistic

Sat 26th Apr 2014, 17:51

Hellenistic, left, in winning actionHellenistic, left, in winning action
© Photo Healy Racing

While all eyes were focused on the battle up front involving Punch Bag and Gold Necklace Hellenistic timed her challenge to perfection on the inside of the pair as she got up by a short head in Limerick.

She needed every yard of this one mile three furlongs and 70 yards trip as she rewarded her backers in this handicap at 9/2. This gave Dermot Weld and Pat Smullen a double on the afternoon.

Punch Bag was the horse nailed on the line at 16/1 and Gold Necklace (7/1) took third. Well-backed favourite Alafzara finished out of the places in fourth at 7/2. She had been taken at 11/2 in the morning and 9/2 on opening show in the ring.

Jockey Pat Smullen said: “It took a while for the penny to drop. She’s still a bit green and she only got going late on. It’s our first winner for Calumet Farm [owners] and it was good to get it.”

Hellenistic’s other four racecourse appearances all came at Dundalk where she achieved three third-placed finishes.

Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes

About Michael Graham
Michael has worked in horse racing journalism for more than 15 years, having also written a weekly betting column on Gaelic football and hurling for a newspaper. He is involved in writing the My Racing Story features on this website. He spent a year in South Africa completing a Diploma in Business Administration and also studied Newspaper Journalism in Belfast. He enjoys playing 5-a-side football on a regular basis.