25-1 Erskine lords it over rivals with dominant win

The Harry Rogers-trained Lord Erskine came into the Irish Cesarewitch in great form on the back of successive wins and snuck in at the bottom of the weights, but he came home in splendid isolation to win by clear water at odds of 25-1.

Settled in the first third of the field one off the rail by Conor Hoban, who was riding the horse for the first time, Lord Erskine travelled strongly and forced his way onto the heels of the leaders as they began turning in.

Upon straightening up Hoban guaranteed himself a gap and then waited until the three-furlong marker before truly getting after his mount, taking the lead by the two pole and never surrendering it.

The Noel Meade-trained 5-1 chance Snow Falcon provided the last challenge – wide of Lord Erskine to the middle of the track. But entering the final furlong when, if anything, the stamina of a two-time Grade 2 winner over hurdles could reasonably be expected to tell up against a horse whose only two wins have come on his last two starts when dropped in trip to a mile and a half, it was the four-year-old owned by Jeremiah Nolan who pulled away for a two and a half length success.

Tony Martin's Ted Veale, a frequent flyer in such handicaps, took third a further five lengths back at 16-1, with 14-1 shot Miles To Memphis fourth for Denise Foster.

Irish Cesarewitch result

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