American Hope (nearside, Seamie Heffernan) short-headed Chiclet in the first at Dundalk© Photo Healy Racing
American Hope didn't travel as well to the two furlong pole as Chiclet (Colin Keane weighed out a pound over and weighed in a further pound over) but he was a bit stronger than that one inside the last as he reversed form from four weeks back with favourite Have A Great Day (third here) in the opening Irish Stallion Farms European Breeders Fund Maiden at Dundalk.
Backed from double figure odds this morning, the Seamie Heffernan-ridden American Hope (4/1) was providing his trainer Willie Browne with his first winner in over ten years. Of course he's a big player on the sales scene under the Mocklershill banner.
After the short head victory Browne explained: "I never gave up the licence to train and we only have this fellow as he got an injury at the breeze-ups so he wasn't sold.
"I like the horse and he'll be better over further. He ran so well over six furlongs the last day that I thought we'd better stick to that.
"John, my brother, owns him. He's just come out of hospital so it'll be a tonic for him." (AM & EM)
