Racing: Brave filly scores upset at Levin Classic

A battled-scarred Eileen Dubh rebounded from injury in the One Thousand Guineas to score an upset win in the $200,000 Levin Classic at Otaki yesterday.

Eileen Dubh had played up badly in the starting barriers in the One Thousand Guineas in Christchurch on November 14 and after being allowed to start she finished second-last.

Less than a fortnight later, with only one training gallop in the interim, the Storm Cat filly yesterday held off St Germaine in the 1600m group one race for three-year-olds to score by half a head at odds of 25-1.

Eileen Dubh is trained at Woodville by Francis Finnegan, who said he was devastated at what happened in the One Thousand Guineas.

"We were nearly in tears after the race," Finnegan said.

"She couldn't hold her head up when she came in. To get up off the canvas like she has, she's a serious fighter.

"If you had seen her after the One Thousand Guineas you wouldn't have dreamt of running her in a maiden in a fortnight, let alone in another group one.

"She's just been the toughest of horses right from the beginning."

Finnegan, 24, has been training just four years. He started his training career at Levin but has been based at Woodville for nearly a year.

Finnegan had been an amateur rider in Ireland but decided to make the move to New Zealand with a training career in mind.

"I just came out here to get a start," he said. "It's very hard to get started in Ireland. You need a lot of money, a lot of good owners and I just didn't have that."

Finnegan races Eileen Dubh on lease in partnership with Waikato-based Irish veterinary surgeons Ronan Costello and Roison McQuillan.

The horse has now raced 10 times for three wins, a second and two thirds with her stake earnings up to $166,000.

Eileen Dubh was ridden yesterday by Jonathan Riddell who is better known as a jumps jockey. But he was a successful apprentice on the flat and in the last year or so has made a determined effort to keep his weight down.

Yesterday he rode Eileen Dubh half a kilogram overweight at 55kg but was delighted to post his first group one win.

"I honestly believed it would never happen but dreams sometimes come true."

Eileen Dubh and St Germaine hit the front with 200m to run and had the finish to themselves with three-quarters of a length to third-placed Green Supreme.

There were 1 lengths to King Raedwald fourth, followed by Comme Tu Veux and Handsome Zulu.

Seventh was the favourite Prince Of Wales who had his chances extinguished when held up for a run.

- NZPA