Everyone says the same thing as horse named Mayo For Sam narrowly loses

Mayo For Sam looked the winner everywhere in the GAIN The Advantage Series Handicap at Ballinrobe on Monday evening, but was headed on the line.

Trained by Ado McGuinness, the four-year-old led around the turn and up the home straight before Denise Foster’s runner Desert Friend just got up in the nick of time to score under Ben Coen.

The Adam Caffrey-ridden Mayo For Sam went off the 9/2 joint-favourite for the 1m5f contest and looked set to reward her backers, but for late disappointment, which had many people taking to social media to make the same joke.

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One person wrote: “In every reality Mayo For Sam will never happen.”

Another commented: “Even the poor horse is afflicted by the ‘so close yet so far’ syndrome as Mayo For Sam beaten a head in Ballinrobe.”

Someone else said: “Backed a horse called ‘Mayo For Sam’ there. Beaten on the line in a photo finish after looking a likely winner turning for home. I shoulda known better with a name like that, tbh.”

The race came just two days after Mayo’s latest quest for All-Ireland glory ended in despair once again after Kevin McStay’s side were beaten on penalties by Derry.

Conor Doherty was the hero of the hour as the Oak Leaf County won a nail-biting penalty shoot-out to book their place in the All-Ireland quarter-finals.

The Derry defender held his nerve to convert the final spot-kick of a dramatic shoot-out to break Mayo’s hearts as missed efforts from Paul Towey and Ryan O’Donoghue cost the Westerners dearly in Castlebar on Saturday evening.

Mayo infamously have not lifted the Sam Maguire since 1951 and have lost eleven All-Ireland finals since, with the last of those defeats coming in 2021.

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