Vinnie Is Busy and Philip Byrnes© Photo Healy Racing
Philip Byrnes had a red letter day at Limerick this afternoon when Vinnie Is Busy trained by his father Charles, gave him a first racecourse winner in the concluding bumper on the card.
The Vinnie Roe gelding was making his debut in the two-mile contest and having been as big as 11/2 in the morning he went to post the 7/4 joint-favourite.
Byrnes junior let his mount hit the front at the halfway stage and he travelled well at the head of affairs turning for home.
The five-year-old was asked to quicken over a furlong out and soon settled matters, easing down in the closing stages for an eight-and-a-half length success over early leader Johngus
16-year-old Byrnes had a successful career in pony racing and hit the headlines back in August 2018 when riding the winner of the Dingle Derby.
Byrnes senior said afterwards:- "It was great to get that out of the way. Philip was 16 just before Christmas and he knew the horse very well and had ridden him in all his work. He knew what he was capable of.
"He spent two and a half years pony racing where he had 50 winners and he won the Dingle Derby in 2018. They get great experience at it but this is a big step up riding against the big boys.
"He is still at school and rides out before he goes to school, at weekends and sometimes when he comes home from school.
"I'm lucky enough to have the horses to put him up and kept a share in the young horses knowing this was coming. That's the problem with a lot of young jockeys starting off, they just can't get rides.
"He was second at Gowran the other day and we thought this horse was better; we were hoping he'd win and he was working very well. We think he is a fair horse and we'll find a winners' bumper next and he'll be kept to novice hurdling next year."
(Quotes by Tom Weekes)
