Firstman is cheered by the Keep Your Distance Syndicate (l-r Noel Burke, Norman Healy, Damien Inglesby & Eamon Byrne)© Photo Healy Racing
Last year's Jockeys' Championship runner-up Bill Lee completed a Dundalk double on his first rides of 2023 today, producing Firstman from last-to-first to win the View Restaurant At Dundalk Stadium Handicap.
The son of Zoffany was a course winner over 1m4f on December and today was produced wide by Lee to lead with a furlong to race, beating Adamaris by two and a half lengths.
Lee got off the mark for 2023 on Michael Halford's Havana Pearl and following his second success on Firstman, trainer Tony Martin said “there was no pace, so it really wasn't a proper two-mile race.
"Billy said he was behind the bridle and things couldn't have gone better because there was no gallop and he switched off at the back. When things go right for him, he is a decent little horse. He has been lucky for the boys (Keep Your Distance Syndicate) and we'll see what he is like in a week or two and make a plan from there.”
He added “men like Billy, Colin Keane and Seamie Heffernan and all the top boys are great men at their job. Billy saw that the horse had won over 1m2f and 1m4f, saw there was only nine in it and was never too far out of it even though he was last. Men like them go through the form and know their horses."
Quotes from Michael Graham
