John Fitzgerald celebrated a landmark victory in the 8:30 race at Tipperary last night as his horse, Eaglewood, clinched the win in the Tipperary Fillies INH 4YO Flat Race. The victory is especially sweet for Fitzgerald, marking his first win after a long journey in the racing world.

The excitement among smaller trainers and Fitzgerald’s acquaintances was palpable. Evan O’Carroll, reflecting the collective enthusiasm, remarked, “Well done John. First winner after a long time trying and trained by a neighbour. John gave me my first job with horses and haven’t looked back since 😁.”

Fitzgerald himself expressed his elation on Facebook: “Fantastic night tonight at Tipperary Racecourse… so, so happy to have a bumper winner. Well done to LENNY FLYNN Breaking/Pre-Training for such a great job. Beautiful mare and she deserved that.”

Eaglewood, a 150/1 outsider trained by Lenny Flynn, reversed her Listowel form in impressive style. Under jockey Cal Shine, the Fitzgerald-owned grey mare was always prominent. She took the lead approaching the straight and, despite pressure from Pure Logic, held on to win by half a length. Pure Logic, ridden by Patrick Mullins, was second, while The Great Nudie, with Bertie Finn aboard, finished two lengths further back in third.

Cal Shine, recording his second win of the week at Tipperary, commented, “She ran on soft ground and probably didn’t act on it. We changed tactics today, and I rode her good and handy. She travelled everywhere, even a bit too much in my hands early on but she galloped to the line. She’s a good mare with a great pedigree and with a trip going forward, she’ll improve plenty.”

John Fitzgerald, speaking today, shared his delight: “It’s great to get that win for the filly. We think she’s a bit special, but we were gutted after her poor first run at Listowel….ran the first mile with choke out…. I part own her with Andy Sharkey and let’s say we were gobsmacked by how she won….as we expected/hoped she might finish in the first 5.”

Adding a touch of color to the night, Fitzgerald shared a story about a visitor from the United States. “In the pic above is a man we met… a yank on a trip to Ireland in the multicoloured shirt (as they are prone to wearing with no shame), his hands are raised in the background. He had bet €20 on her at 150/1….now that’s racing for ya.”