Trainer Shane Broderick had a successful outing at Wexford today, with his horse Sphagnum (7/1) winning the Support The Irish Injured Jockeys Fund Handicap Chase, representing the aptly named Peat Moss Syndicate.
Ridden by Dillon Maxwell, the seven-year-old kept pace with the leaders, took the lead at the final fence, and, on testing ground, held on to secure a hard-earned fourth career win.
After the race, Maxwell commented, “The conditions are very tough: he is usually a good ground horse, and I was worried about how he would handle it, but he seemed to handle it fiercely well. It was the best time he ever jumped. He blew himself up at the top of the hill and made a mistake and while I didn't think he'd get home, I stood up for a few strides to let him get his breath back. He got a second-wind, though, and loves a battle. It was the plan to keep him wide for the best of the ground.”
He added, “The last day in Sligo he just came up against a better horse, and I'd say he'd like to go even further. He is a horse that doesn't have a lot of gears, but he seems to stay plugging away all day."