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Michael Graham

Michael Graham

Change of scenery does trick for Smithscorner

Sun 21st Oct 2018, 16:00

Smithscorner on his way to victorySmithscorner on his way to victory
© Photo Healy Racing

A switch to trainer Michael Kennedy paid immediate dividends as Smithscorner (14/1) took the 2019 Annual Membership Available Now Handicap Hurdle over two miles three in Cork.

Jack Kennedy 's mount travelled into contention on the inner and picked up the lead after the second-last.

A good jump at the final flight saw him land full of running and he hit the line a length and three quarters to the good from 5/1 favourite Arctic Light Red Pearl was the same distance back in third at 10/1.

Michael Kennedy said: "He is a nice horse; I only got him two months ago from Robert Tyner and he was in good shape coming to me, so he didn't have to improve a whole lot to win one but sometimes a change of scenery can make a difference to a horse.

"We'll probably go over fences with him as he is a fine big horse and we might also look for another handicap hurdle first.

"That's my third winner and I have 18 horses in but there are a lot of them young horses, so will have five or six for the track."

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.