Shadow Paddy digs deep to retain unbeaten record over fences An impressive winner on both previous starts over fences, the Eoin McCarthy trained Shadow Paddy made it three from three when digging deep to claim the Grade 3 Guinness Open Gate Brewery Novice Chase at Galway. Sent off 5/2f under Gary Noonan, the Complete Package Syndicate owned gelding tracked the pace as Lady Bluebird made the running. Pushed along in third after jumping the last, the six-year-old rallied up the stiff hill, getting to the leaders over a furlong out. Leading close home, the son of Shadow Gate carried a double penalty to a one-and-a-quarter length win. An emotional Eoin McCarthy, enjoying the biggest win of his career, said: "It is this dream you are chasing the whole time and Ella, my second child, has a tear in her eye leading him in and another daughter Clodagh is the same. "I was under pressure today as I thought it was our race to lose which, for an outfit of our size, is pressure. "The race didn't go to plan as he was going too well and then drifted wide, but once he knuckled down he settled it quickly. "When Aintree went wrong, Galway was the plan and now that that has been achieved, he'll have a little holiday and come back for a graded chase at Gowran. He has so many options. "These are real racing owners and I can't thank them enough as they follow him everywhere. I was so nervous all morning so I'm buzzing now as this horse doesn't understand the weight on his shoulders. I have big aspirations for him and this is what we do it for." Syndicate-leader Paddy McAuliffe, a lifelong racing fan, said "I had a horse previously with Eoin who was jointly-owned by my late brother and he won three times. "I then bought this horse for E10,000 and, by the following morning, I had 11 members involved. I left them all in and I'm delighted thrilled." (Quotes by Thomas Weekes).
