Smokey Joe Joe (left) and Dogora jump the last together© Photo Healy Racing
Odds-on punters who did their money in the opener at Fairyhouse with Vercingetorix were in for another reverse as Smokey Joe Joe swooped late to land the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Beginners Chase. Dogora with an official rating of 138, was sent off the 4/9 market leader in this 2m5f event and looked set to land the odds when striking the front early in the straight.
However Smokey Joe Joe refused to surrender and the 9/2 chance found more under pressure on the run-in for Ger Fox, getting up in the closing stages to score by half a length.
The pair pulled 20 lengths clear of Boxing Along in third.
Winning trainer Stephen Mahon said, "Ger reminds me of Geraghty when he was a 5lb claimer. He was mixing it there with Ruby in a finish and gave him a peach of a ride. I'm delighted for him and I think he's a lad with a bright future.
"Tom (Quinn) has booked to go to Cheltenham for three or four days and he's in the novice handicap there but I'm a bit dubious about it. If the ground comes up quick he won't go.
"I said instead of waiting for that and missing the soft ground we'd be better getting it when we could here. He's a horse that has broken down twice and he does a lot of swimming. Probably without the swimming he'd be hard to keep sound.
"We just swim him and run him and don't really gallop him at home. I said going out today this was the fittest I'd had him.
"Ideally we would have point-to-pointed him but his legs probably wouldn't have held up to it and I'd be worried about taking him to Cheltenham as well."
(GC & AM)
