West Cork Wildway and Darragh O'Keeffe © Photo Healy Racing
An early faller on last month’s chasing debut at Killarney, West Cork Wildway (12s into 9/1 before the off) showed no ill-effects whatsoever from that fall when making all in the BetVictor Irish EBF Beginners Steeplechase.
He was pursued throughout by the 4/5 favourite The Bosses Oscar but that one came under pressure after the second-last and could make no impression up the straight as the winner stayed on well to beat the market leader by a length and a half with Stratum (3/1) a further half length back in third.
A winner of his only two starts in point-to-points, this was a fourth win under Rules for Darragh O’Keeffe’s mount.
Winning trainer Paul O’Flynn said: "He was very good. He did today what we hoped he'd do the last day in Killarney when he was just unlucky and made a mistake first time over fences. He learned from it and is a nice horse going forwards.
"They (Fernhill Tower Syndicate) are a great syndicate and have backed me since I started. We always thought he was good and they could have sold him as a young horse so I'm delighted for them.
"I don't know how far he'll go but I'll take him as far as he can."
Quotes from Thomas Weekes
