Having been forced to settle for the runners-up spot in the day’s opener Barry O’Neill and Colin Bowe enjoyed better fortunes in the four-year-old geldings’ point-to-point bumper when Ernest Gray completed an opening race double for sire Walk In The Park.
A €62,000 purchase from the Land Rover Sale, O’Neill was keen to keep him close to the pace in the 2m 2f contest and it looked as though they had gone about winning their race off the home bend.
However it proved to be a dramatic finish with the lead changing hands on multiple occasions between the home bend and the line, with the Ocovango gelding How Will I Know producing a good turn of foot to hit the front inside the final furlong.
But just as the line approached the reigning champion point-to-point rider got a renewed effort from his charge and the 5/2 joint favourite regained the lead at the right time to win by a neck at the line.
How Will I Know ran a big race for connections to claim the runners-up spot at 20/1 with the other joint favourite, Mythical Hero, taking the third spot.
Following the success of the Milestone Bloodstock Ltd-owned gelding, the winning handler commented: “Barry (O’Neill) said that he thought that he had loads of horse left but he was just too green to go forward, but he said that when he got stuck in he responded well and showed a great attitude.
“I definitely knew that he had a nice level of ability, but he jumps very well so I would have preferred to go for a point-to-point, but he showed a nice attitude there and should have a nice future going forward.”
