Thrilled today to see Limit Long win The Follow Fairyhouse on Social Media Handicap. I would have expected him to win before now given how well he works at home. He has been 2nd on three occasions previously but he has lacked confidence and that's an area we have been working on with him.
He's a lovely looking son of Lope de Vega and is such a likeable horse with a great temperament. In recent times our work on building his confidence has seen things begin to come together for him and I thought he won very well today. Leigh gave him a great ride from the front and the horse responded gamely well for him when the challengers queued up in the straight. I always felt he was going to hold them and in the end he looked to have a bit in hand.
That win will do him the world of good in all respect and you could already see that extra bit of swagger about him after the race. Getting their head in front for the first time in a race really does make a big difference to a horse like him. I'm looking forward to seeing him build on that going forward. He's very flexible in terms of ground conditions and also goes on the all weather. He has the speed for 5f and also stays 7f well.
He is owned by the Straight To Victory Syndicate and I am delighted for them. They have been fantastic supporters of our stable and we've enjoyed many great successes together at home and internationally. They have been very patient with this horse and today they got the reward for that.
Our apprentice Neve Bennett has made a big difference to this horse at home and deserves a lot of credit for it. Many thanks to Neve and to all of the team at home for making these wins possible.