ROSS Geraghty thought his chance of a winner was gone when top-weight Surprising Soul proved no match to Belisarius in the first division of the Foxbrook Champion Hurdle. Surprising Soul finished second.

For Geraghty, it was two down, one to go. He made that one count, engineering a perfect ride aboard Detroit Blues to collar pacesetter Gibralfaro after the last hurdle to score by a half-length in the second division of the Foxbrook.

Completing a double for Rosbrian Farm and Ricky Hendriks, Detroit Blues earned his third career hurdle win and second since coming to America.

“I was really impressed with the horse I was second on, he was my best shot all day, he ran his eyeballs out and got beat by a better horse. I thought that was my chance gone, I love having winners here and this fellow just stepped up,” Geraghty said.

“All I wanted was for him to travel, fresh ground, I warned Ricky I was going to stay way on the way outside. It’s great riding for Ricky, he said, ‘You know what you’re doing, man.’ I just went and did my thing.”

Geraghty moved to within two wins of Jack Doyle at the top of the leaderboard.

THE Grateful Dead coined one of the most iconic songs in rock and roll history, when they sang, “What a long, strange trip it’s been…”

Belisarius could be Jerry Garcia. The seven-year-old son of Montjeu began his long strange trip in Ireland. Bred by Lynch Bages Ltd and Camas Park Stud, he made six starts under the Coolmore banner, winning a Dundalk maiden and finishing second in the Lenebane Stakes at Roscommon in 2014.

He made his American debut for Bill Mott and owners Brous Stable, Gary Barber and Wachtel Stable, finishing seventh as the favourite in a Saratoga turf allowance. He went one-for-16 while tussling with tough turf foes on the east coast.

Sent to California in 2016, Belisarius failed to light a fire out there, losing five in a row in Southern California before falling another peg to Golden Gate Fields where he finally won a $12,500 claimer last fall. Dipped all the way to $6,250, it was hard times for a once promising horse.

With a little bit of experience at reclamation projects over jumps (African Oil went from refusing to race on the flat to a Saratoga hurdle winner), the owners decided to send Belisarius to trainer/jockey team Kate and Bernie Dalton in South Carolina.

The fire has been lit. The seven-year-old gelding won his third in a row, dominating the Foxbrook Champion Hurdle to improve his 2018 earnings to $130,700.

“He took to it right away and now he really likes it,” Kate Dalton said.

“That was better than I even hoped for, I knew he was a nice enough horse to win the race, but he looks like a super nice horse, it was five seconds faster than the other division and he was pulling up.

“He validated everything we’ve ever thought of him.”

GERAGHTY GETS THE WIN

Ross Geraghty thought his chance of a winner was gone when top-weight Surprising Soul proved no match to Belisarius in the first division of the Foxbrook Champion Hurdle. Surprising Soul finished second.

For Geraghty, it was two down, one to go. He made that one count, engineering a perfect ride aboard Detroit Blues to collar pacesetter Gibralfaro after the last hurdle to score by a half-length in the second division of the Foxbrook.

Completing a double for Rosbrian Farm and Ricky Hendriks, Detroit Blues earned his third career hurdle win and second since coming to America.

“I was really impressed with the horse I was second on, he was my best shot all day, he ran his eyeballs out and got beat by a better horse. I thought that was my chance gone, I love having winners here and this fellow just stepped up,” Geraghty said.

“All I wanted was for him to travel, fresh ground, I warned Ricky I was going to stay way on the way outside. It’s great riding for Ricky, he said, ‘You know what you’re doing, man.’ I just went and did my thing.”

Geraghty moved to within two wins of Jack Doyle at the top of the leaderboard.

Ross Geraghty thought his chance of a winner was gone when top-weight Surprising Soul proved no match to Belisarius in the first division of the Foxbrook Champion Hurdle. Surprising Soul finished second.

For Geraghty, it was two down, one to go. He made that one count, engineering a perfect ride aboard Detroit Blues to collar pacesetter Gibralfaro after the last hurdle to score by a half-length in the second division of the Foxbrook. Completing a double for Rosbrian Farm and Ricky Hendriks, Detroit Blues earned his third career hurdle win and second since coming to America.

“I was really impressed with the horse I was second on, he was my best shot all day, he ran his eyeballs out and got beat by a better horse. I thought that was my chance gone, I love having winners here and this fellow just stepped up,” Geraghty said.

“All I wanted was for him to travel, fresh ground, I warned Ricky I was going to stay way on the way outside. It’s great riding for Ricky, he said, ‘You know what you’re doing, man.’ I just went and did my thing.”Geraghty moved to within two wins of Jack Doyle at the top of the leaderboard.