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Racing

"One million per cent relief" | Ger Lyons on Siskin's Guineas win

Trainer Ger Lyons admits he felt the weight of expectation ahead of Siskin's victory in the 2000 ...



Racing

"One million per cent relief" | Ger Lyons on Siskin's Guineas win

Trainer Ger Lyons admits he felt the weight of expectation ahead of Siskin's victory in the 2000 Guineas last weekend.

The pre-race favourite, under the ride of Colin Keane, had a length and three quarters to spare over Vatican City to hand Lyons and Keane their first classic win.

"Pure, one million per cent relief" Lyons told Nathan Murphy and Johnny Ward on Friday Night Racing on Off The Ball of his emotions after last week's success at the Curragh.

"You put your heart and soul into it, we all did. I know how important it was to connections, we were entrusted with a Guineas favourite and the only two-year-old Group One winner in the field.

"Just delighted and relieved, they were the first emotions that hit me and then pride for the last week.

"I'm thirty years doing this and I know how hard it is, it was the first time we were given the opportunity with the real deal and we put the ball in the back of the net, which means a lot.

"Aidan (O'Brien) makes it look easy, and belief me until you try and do it you find out it's nowhere as easy as it looks.

"I'm very proud of my team, very proud of my staff, because we had the chance and could easily have fluffed our lines but we had the horse on the day and the jockey on the day."

Lyons saluted jockey Colin Keane's performance in the saddle to produce a battling performance from Siskin:

"There was huge pressure on Colin, I knew he was under pressure but he's such a cool dude that he calms me a lot.

"I didn't realise until afterwards the pressure he would have been feeling. He will thrive going forward after proving that he was up to it. It will only make him a better rider, which is brilliant for the rest of us.

"There was only a few of us at the track but that didn't make any difference to my satisfaction.

"It would have been nice to have friends and family there but ultimately I'm in my own bubble anyway and keep myself to myself on race-days and it didn't lessen the enjoyment for me and if I never win another race, I've trained a classic winner."

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Colin Keane Curragh Ger Lyons Guineas Siskin