Ellie Mac sprung a 50-1 shock in the Maiden Hurdle at #Leopardstown, a hugely emotional and poignant winner for an Irish syndicate who suffered a tragic loss in the Berkeley balcony collapse pic.twitter.com/IY9QfJnjeL
IT WAS AN emotional day at Leopardstown, as Ellie Mac (50/1) pulled off a surprise triumph in the Horse and Jockey Hotel Maiden Hurdle during Day 1 of the festival.
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The horse is owned by a horse racing club established in memory of the late Niccolai Schuster, who was one of six Irish students that lost their lives in the Berkeley balcony tragedy on 16 June, 2015.
“This is the greatest day of our lives since the tragedy in Berkeley,” John Schuster, father of Niccolai, told RTÉ Sport.
My son was a great racing fan and we decided at a party to put a racing club together – there was no shortage of neighbours, friends and we had support from all over the world.”
Daniel Holden onboard Ellie Mac celebrates winning the Horse & Jockey Hotel Maiden Hurdle at the 2017 Leopardstown Christmas Festival. Tommy Dickson / INPHO
Tommy Dickson / INPHO / INPHO
Niccolai’s mother Graziella added: “Our beloved Niccolai went down on the balcony that day in Berkeley — his favourite sport apart from football was horseracing. He loved the Christmas festival here and what a way to start — he was on Daniel’s shoulders.”
The42 has just published its first book, Behind The Lines, a collection of some of the year’s best sports stories. Pick up your copy in Eason’s, or order it here today (€10):
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'This is the greatest day of our lives since the tragedy in Berkeley'
Updated at 15.03
IT WAS AN emotional day at Leopardstown, as Ellie Mac (50/1) pulled off a surprise triumph in the Horse and Jockey Hotel Maiden Hurdle during Day 1 of the festival.
The horse is owned by a horse racing club established in memory of the late Niccolai Schuster, who was one of six Irish students that lost their lives in the Berkeley balcony tragedy on 16 June, 2015.
“This is the greatest day of our lives since the tragedy in Berkeley,” John Schuster, father of Niccolai, told RTÉ Sport.
Niccolai’s mother Graziella added: “Our beloved Niccolai went down on the balcony that day in Berkeley — his favourite sport apart from football was horseracing. He loved the Christmas festival here and what a way to start — he was on Daniel’s shoulders.”
The42 has just published its first book, Behind The Lines, a collection of some of the year’s best sports stories. Pick up your copy in Eason’s, or order it here today (€10):
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Berkeley Ellie Mac fitting Horse Racing Leopardstown Niccolai Schuster