Griffin's 'quirky devil' wins a thriller Tricky at the start he may be, but Lough Nigara (7/2 favourite) showed no shortage of resolution to win on the nod in the EASYFIX Equine Handicap Hurdle at Thurles. Having hit the front two out in the two mile-seven furlong contest, the Dunglen Racing Syndicate's nine-year-old was narrowly headed before the last by Oaks Soldier and rider Ricky Doyle's whip was knocked out of his hand early on the run-in. That may, if anything, have helped Lough Nigara as Doyle cajoled him for a final effort and got him up on the line for a nose success. "He is an interesting horse to train, he is a quirky devil and I have to go to the start every day with him," said winning trainer Eoin Griffin. "He has had his issues at the start in the past and Natalie Bradley, who rides him every day and led him up today, does a great job with him. She has transformed him, as he was a very difficult horse when he first came to me. and gets on really well with him. "He was much better behaved today and whether the (first-time) blinkers helped, I'm not too sure. It can be a contradiction in him wearing a hood or blinkers, but it seems to work. "This is his level, he loves that testing ground and we'll save his chase mark for next season." Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes
