United fan Lee nets winner for Ian Rush Legendary Liverpool striker Ian Rush was the joint-owner of Killarney-winner Cailin Miorruilach (12/1) today, as jockeys’ championship-leader Billy Lee steered trainer Paddy Twomey’s debutante to land the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden. Translated from Irish to ‘miracle girl’, Cailin Miorruilach carries the silks of her Waterford-based joint-owner Michael Ryan, whose Al Eile famously won three Aintree Hurdles in Liverpool in the 2000’s. Today, Cailin Miorruilach scored a battling three-parts of a length success over Together Now (2/7fav), to move Lee further 17 winners clear of Colin Keane (89-72), as he closes in on a first championship title. Lee reported “Cailin Miorruilach seems to have always been in Paddy’s but hadn’t been up to doing much, until this summer. She has been slowly coming forward and still, slowly, the penny is dropping. “She was raw racing around the bends so hopefully she’ll learn plenty and she is a fine big filly so you’d be hoping she’d be a better stamp of a four-year-old. Everything had been two steps behind with her until now, but you’d like to think she will be a lovely mare next year.” Owners Rush’s own silks were successful with trainer Willie McCreery’s Naoi earlier this summer and, today, Lee added “I’m not sure how the connection between Michael Ryan and Ian Rush came about but he (Rush) enjoys the horses and is well into it. It’s nice to ride a winner for him, although I’m a Man United fan and have told him so!”
