THE lingering feeling that Battleoverdoyen was merely marking time until he got a chance to test his mettle over fences looks set to be borne out on the evidence of his comeback success in the Derrygimlagh Bog Irish EBF Beginners Chase over two and three-quarter miles.
Gordon Elliott’s Grade 1-winning hurdler was making his first appearance since his disappointing outing at Cheltenham last March and he banished that effort to the distant past with a display that was a mixture of assurance and style. Keith Donoghue made all the running on the imposing Gigginstown House Stud-owned six-year-old who was in control of this race at all stages.
The 8/11 favourite shook off the effort of Glamorgan Duke (whose rider Liam Gilligan was given a one-day whip ban) before the last two fences and only needed to be nudged along to finish eight lengths clear of Cap York. Needless to say, things will get tougher from now on, but as chasing debuts go it was a highly satisfactory one.
This race has previously played host to winning chasing debuts from the likes of Don Cossack and Presenting Percy.
“It’s good to get that out of the way. He’s done that nicely and Keith was very happy with him so hopefully it’s onwards and upwards from here,” said Elliott. “He will improve quite a bit for this run and I’d say we will be looking at the likes of the Drimore or the Florida Pearl at Punchestown for him now.”
Elliott also has nice type on his hands in Mount Ida (6/4) who ran out an easy winner of the Front Door Mares Maiden Hurdle over two miles. In the colours of KTDA Racing, this daughter of Yeats had previously won a point-to-point and a bumper and she could make into a quality sort over hurdles. The Davy Russell-ridden Mount Ida helped to force the pace from the outset and produced a more fluent round of jumping than her fellow joint-favourite Kalanisi Og whom she defeated by four lengths.
“She’s a decent mare I’d say and she’d have no trouble going further. There’s a nice mares’ novice at Thurles just before Christmas which we could aim towards but she will run again before then,” commented the trainer.
PORTMORE Lough shrugged aside a 7lb rise in the weights for winning at this track several weeks previously to justify 6/4 favouritism in the Marlin Hotel Dublin Handicap Chase. The eight-year-old was stepping up significantly in distance to two and three-quarter miles but this mattered little to the Mark Walsh-ridden grey who contained the effort of the 142-rated Sumos Novios on the long run for home. John Kiely trains the grey for J.P. McManus and Portmore Lough has been busy making up for lost time lately as there was a point in his career where he spent three years on the sidelines. Indeed this was just his seventh outing.
Darragh O’Keeffe replaced Donie McInerney on the pulled-up Damut after the latter presented himself to weigh out at 2lbs overweight.
There was further joy for the J.P. McManus team when the well-supported Gran Geste took the Mayo Pink Ribbon Breast Cancer Handicap Hurdle for Liz Doyle and Jody McGarvey. The victorious six-year-old was backed from 14/1 into 10/1 for this two-mile, five-furlong affair as he looked for his first win in just under two years. On his first outing since March, Gran Geste swept past fellow McManus runner Fitzhenry before the last and found plenty on the run-in to hold off Pivotal Flame.
THE likeable Foveros made it three wins from four outings over hurdles in the Annesley Williams Rated Novice Hurdle where he was appearing for the first time since scoring over this course and distance at the summer festival. This Willie Mullins-trained son of Authorized is a tenacious type and that trait was again in evidence here as he knuckled down well under pressure from the turn in to get the better of his stablemate Quartz Du Rheu by two and three quarter lengths. The 6/4 favourite was ridden by Paul Townend for the trainer’s stalwart patron Luke McMahon.
Like Gordon Elliott, Joseph O’Brien sent out winners at both meetings last Sunday and his brace was completed by Global Equity (100/30) in the Merit Medical Fillies (Pro-Am) INH Flat Race. This Oakley Brown-ridden daughter of Shirocco had started her career with a pleasing third in a Tipperary maiden hurdle last month. She didn’t travel as well through the race as some of her rivals but as a searching enough gallop took its toll nothing could live with the Annus Mirabilis Syndicate-owned mare who pulled away to score by nine lengths.
Trainer William Cronin and his son, also William, successfully joined forces for the first time since June 2015 as Duhallow Paddy (8/1) captured the Glenman Corporation Handicap Chase. On his first start for three months the six-year-old, who is owned by Doneraile-based Michael Moakley, saw out this extended two and three-quarter miles in willing fashion to carry the day by a length and three-quarters from Daisy Chicks whose jockey, Liam Quinlan, was hit with a six-day whip ban.