Blake wins October Handicap after stewards enquiry Second past the post, the Noel Meade trained Blake was subsequently awarded the Bahrain Turf Club October Handicap (Premier Handicap) at Leopardstown following a stewards enquiry. Ridden by Chris Hayes, the four-year-old son of Zoffany was sent off 16/1 to gain a third career win. Held up in the early stages of the race, the gelding came through to press leader Navy Waters over a furlong from the finish. However, the latter filly veered badly right just as Blake was making his challenge, forcing Hayes to snatch up and lose all momentum. Although Navy Waters kept on to finish three-and-a-quarter lengths in front, Blake held on for second. The subsequent stewards enquiry deemed that the interference was enough to warrant the placings being reversed. Trainer Noel Meade said: "To be honest, they nearly had to give it to him. You can't stop them to that degree, can you? He absolutely stopped him and he's a big, long-striding horse. If you're riding a bike and you're stopped, it's very hard to get going again that quickly. "It's a nice pot to win and he'll run in the maiden hurdle at Down Royal on Saturday week. That's the plan. He jumps great and we're looking forward to him heading over hurdles." Additional reporting by Gary Carson.
