Mutadaawel winning at Dundalk© Photo Healy Racing
Navan's concluding Proudstown Handicap looked a difficult puzzle for punters and so it proved as Mutadaawel scored a 20/1 success in the 18 runner race for trainer Anthony McCann and jockey Conor McGivern.
The son of Invincible Spirit was a Shadwell Stud cast-off when purchased by current connections for just £2,800 in August 2018 and today gained a second career success for owner Rita Shah.
Despite the winner's big starting price, winning trainer McCann later revealed “I had him entered for the Lincoln and I thought he was good enough to run a respectable race there. So if I thought that I thought he should win today.
“He had a break because of Covid-19 but he came back in as fresh as a daisy and we've been very happy with him.
“Conor is back riding out and knows the horse inside out. I thought he hit the front a little bit soon but the horse just took him there as he was full of running. He toughed it out at the end.
“Jim Bolger and Kevin Manning got me last year at the Curragh, on the line, and I thought they were going to do the same again today (with short-head runner-up Ambitious Approach . Thank-god he toughed it out.
“It's a serious way to start the season and we badly needed it. The horses seem to all be in very good form and hopefully the bit of a break did us all the world of good.”
Quotes from Gary Carson
