Irandando Has defied a mammoth 1,188-day layoff to make a successful British debut in the colours of the late John Hales in the 2m maiden hurdle.
The six-year-old son of No Risk At All finished second in a Listed three-year-old hurdle at Auteuil in 2022, but had spent more than three years off the track.
Irandando Has joined Shropshire trainer Sam Allwood in the summer, having been first trained in Britain by Paul Nicholls, and showed impressive battling qualities after the last to beat the 11-10 favourite Liam Mera Kai by a neck.
Toby Wynne’s mount was available at odds of 66-1 on the day but justified some support at big prices and returned a 25-1 shot. Allwood also trained the 125-1 third Sweeper System.
Allwood, who has 15 horses to run over jumps this season, said: “My wife Vicki does most of the transport for Lisa [Hales] and Irandando Has had struggled with injuries, so the family just wanted to give him one more chance at a smaller yard, and thankfully they chose us.
“It’s game-changing to have a horse of his ability. We’ll hopefully be looking at some nicer races in the future. He’s a three-mile chaser in the making but he’s won in spite of the ground being quicker and the trip being shorter than ideal.
“We’ll come up with a plan and see what the handicapper does, but we won’t be in a rush with him and will give him plenty of time.”
Credit – The Racing Post