Woodstream Lad causes surprise in Killarney The David O'Sullivan-trained Woodstream Lad (18/1) caused a stir in the O'Donoghue Ring Collection Beginners Chase for rider Alex Harvey. On paper, it looked to be a shootout between the Henry de Bromhead-trained Time Is A Thief and the Gordon Elliott-trained Stede Bonnet, and their duel only lasted until the final fence as Harvey delivered Woodstream Lad to perfection and, with a good jump at the last, he went on and won impressively. Speaking after the race, trainer David O'Sullivan said: "We weren't expecting this at all and had been aiming him for a hurdle race. His previous trainer Philip Rothwell said he had lost his confidence over fences, so we felt this was a perfect race to get him back, as it was only over the road from us. "We bought him from a claiming race for €8,000 and the lads (Eleven Grumpy Men Syndicate) have been great supporters of mine. They are all local builders, electricians, plumbers and more. "We actually won this race but lost it in the stewards' room last year. Since then, one 'grumpy lad' left and another joined, so this is brilliant. "We only have five riding out and bring them to the beach a lot, so we really baby-sit them. "Shane O'Callaghan is our usual jockey but was suspended and Alex gave him a fantastic ride." (Quotes from Tom Weekes)
