Whether it was Commander Of Fleet or Fastorslow, there was going to be a Cork jockey riding the winner as the two horses battled to the line on a rain soaked Cheltenham track in the Coral Cup.
In the end, it was Shane Fitzgerald from Buttevant aboard Commander Of Fleet who got the better of Darragh O'Keeffe from Doneraile on Fastorslow.
"It's going to take a while to sink in," Fitzgerald told Racing TV after riding the 50/1 winner for Gordon Elliott and Michael O'Leary.
"Tis absolutely serious, the atmosphere around here. To even get a ride in the likes of here, on the likes that type of horse, it's unbelievable. I can't thank Gordon or Mr O'Leary enough for giving me the opportunities.
"A little bit slow jumping off. We crept away through. It was fairly handy the whole way, it was wide with plenty of light everywhere. To be fair, I didn't want to give Jack too much room swinging around for the second last.
"He's had a couple of good runs, and a couple of poor runs. That's my third time riding him, second time to win on him."
Now, that's a tight finish! 🇮🇪
Commander Of Fleet pips Fastorslow at the finish to claim a big and unexpected win. A winner for Gordon Elliott. Irish success always feels good. #CheltenhamFestival pic.twitter.com/iWVSU8tuOe
— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) March 16, 2022
Owner Michael O'Leary added: "Winners here are very hard to find, and 50/1 winners are even harder to find!
"It was a marvellous performance. Third top weight on that ground that's gone very soft with a lot of graded horses up there at the front end of the race. It was a great ride from Shane. I thought he had him in the right position the whole way around. I thought we'd lost it at the last fence but he just battled up the hill."
Featured image: 16 March 2022; Jockey Shane Fitzgerald is congratulated by owner Michael O'Leary after riding Commander Of Fleet to victory in the Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle, as they are lead into the winners enclosure by groom Camilla Sharples and Anita O'Leary, right, on day two of the Cheltenham Racing Festival at Prestbury Park in Cheltenham, England. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
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