Updated at 15.03
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
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) December 26, 2017
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.
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.”
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.”
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