Convincing won the 5:48 Kieran Kelly Memorial Handicap Hurdle at Kilbeggan at 7/1, giving trainer Ciaran Murphy and jockey Eoghan Finegan a double inside half an hour after Facile Ocean’s romp in the opener.
| Pos | Horse | Jockey | SP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Convincing | Eoghan Finegan | 7/1 |
| 2nd | Blue Reed | Jack Kennedy | 7/1 |
| 3rd | Syosset | Michael Kenneally | 7/4F |
Thirteen ran over the two miles on good ground after the withdrawal of Zaryagle, and this one went to the wire: a neck the margin at the line, with the winner clocking 3m 47.30s.
The Race Story
Where the opener was a procession, this was a scrap. Convincing and Blue Reed drew clear over the final flight and fought out a proper duel to the line, Finegan’s mount finding just enough to hold Jack Kennedy by a neck — Kennedy’s second runner-up finish in as many races at the meeting. The favourite Syosset ran honestly into third for John McConnell but never quite landed the telling blow when the race boiled up.
Tipster Accountability
The market got this one wrong and so did we: our Kilbeggan preview had Syosset as the second leg of the 40/1 acca, and his third place kills that bet after leg one Facile Ocean had won the 5:18. The Murphy–Finegan combination, meanwhile, is the story of the evening so far — a 14-length maiden winner followed by a battling handicap score. None of the tracked tipsters in today’s tipster review had money down at Kilbeggan.
Looking Ahead
Next on the card is the 6:18 Bernard Kenny Maiden Hurdle over 2m3f, where Henry de Bromhead’s Mont Star was 13/8 in the morning. The night then builds to Pets Georgina’s hat-trick bid in the 6:48 Joe Cooney Memorial — the 4/5 Bottom Line pick — and the €25,000 KEPAK feature at 7:48.
