No catching Sparrow in first time blinkers After flopping over fences last time, High Sparrow returned to form to take the www.grahamnorris.com Memorial Handicap Hurdle at Clonmel. First time blinkers were seemingly a help for the Joseph O’Brien-trained and J J Slevin-ridden six-year-old. The top-weight settled on a staring price of 9/2 on track from as big as ‘sixes.’ He was tough off the front end to beat Mister Fogpatches by a length and a quarter. They finished seven and a half lengths clear of the third home, favourite, Freewheelin Dylan. Slevin dismounted High Sparrow after the line but all seemed okay afterwards and the Wexford jockey said: "He travelled well, jumped well, got through the ground well and toughed it out well. "He slipped at the first at Gowran the last day and got a fright. He is a horse for summer chases really." The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board Veterinary Officer examined Dont Go Mad, trained by C.Byrnes, at the request of the Stewards and reported the animal to be post race normal. L.P. Dempsey, rider of Persian Wind, trained by J.P.Dempsey, reported to the Stewards' Secretaries that his mount made a noise in running and was subsequently pulled up. (TW & EM)
