Troytown Handicap Chase report, reaction and free video replay: The Big Dog completes fine double
By Sporting Life
19:29 · SUN November 27, 2022
The Big Dog followed up last month's narrow success in the Munster National with victory in Sunday's Bar One Racing Troytown Handicap Chase at Navan.
Sent off an 11/1 shot in the hands of local rider Keith Donoghue on the back of his Limerick win in October, the nine-year-old came to collar long-time leader Lifetime Ambition at the 16th and final fence before being kept up to his work on the run-in.
The Big Dog, trained by Peter Fahey for owners Damien and Colin Kelly, stayed on strongly to score by three and a half lengths from Jessica Harrington's gallant runner-up Lifetime Ambition (8/1), while Death Duty was third under Davy Russell at 11/1, Coko Beach took fourth at 40/1 and 3/1 favourite Frontal Assault could manage only fifth.
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“I was telling the lads (Damien and Colin Kelly, owners) going to Limerick that he would improve a good bit from it but when he won, I was thinking how am I going to improve him from this,” said the winning trainer.
“He stepped up today and is a very lucky horse for me and the lads. It was a good performance today carrying the weight.
“The way he’s performing he could end up being a Grand National horse."
Donoghue added: “I knew this lad stayed and I was glad to see a good pace in the race. He didn’t jump as well as he can today and the picture at the last won’t be great, but we got over it and I knew the finish here would suit.
“He’s a real stayer and was always going to keep finding for me. When he got to the front his ears were pricked, he’d loads left. It’s brilliant."
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