The West's Awake proves a fitting and poignant winner for O'Grady
It was a pity few people were there to witness it but the small crowd around the winner's enclosure at Punchestown did their best to make themselves heard as The West's Awake and Andrew Lynch returned after registering an unlikely victory at the odds of 16-1 in the novice chase.
The son of Yeats was the first runner for Edward O'Grady after the tragic death of his wife Maria in a hunting accident last Saturday and nobody present failed to realise the significance. Although he was not there to witness the victory, O'Grady hopefully got a deal of satisfaction from it.
Lynch had been booked to ride the six-year-old gelding a few days before, but he was doubtful whether the horse would run.
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