THERE was a major turn up in the Seamus Mulvaney Bookmaker Novice Hurdle where the hitherto unbeaten Malone Road lost out in a three-way finish that went to N’golo (100/30) who left an abject effort at Kilbeggan last month well behind.

Malone Road (2/5) was clumsy at a number of flights and his jumping cost him dearly at the last where he blundered and this handed the initiative to the Willie Mullins-trained winner who had made much of the running for Paul Townend.

To his credit the Susannah Ricci-owned grey rallied well after getting squeezed up by Wajaaha and Malone Road coming to two out and this effort was much more in keeping with what he showed when winning at Galway.

He finished with a head to spare over Wajaaha with Malone Road a further nose back.

“It’s good to see him leave a disappointing run at Kilbeggan well behind him,” reflected Townend. “We thought that he could be a nice novice hurdler but we were left scratching our head after Kilbeggan and it’s nice to see him come out and do that.”

The very useful 130-rated You Raised Me Up, who was beaten at this meeting last year, deservedly got his turn in the Remembering Tommy McGivern Maiden Hurdle over two miles.

On his first outing since running an excellent third in the Ladbroke Hurdle at Leopardstown in February, the 11/10 favourite was found a nice opportunity to add to the bumper victory he recorded at Galway two years ago.

The Mark Walsh-ridden seven-year-old settled this race in straightforward fashion after the last to defeat the capable Run For Oscar by two and three-quarter lengths.

“Hopefully there is a nice handicap in him, and he’s not a big, robust horse so he’d appreciate a little less weight on his back. He had some nice form last year and we were hoping he’d do that,” commented Martin Brassil, who trains the Presenting gelding for Chiat Kwong Ching and Sean Mulryan.

Balinaboola Steel (17/2) turned out fresh and well from a fifth here on Monday to land the Devon Inn Hotel Handicap Hurdle and record his third win in the last two months, continuing an excellent season for Shark Hanlon.

This Seamus Tobin-owned eight-year-old relished a return to this trip and finished with great purpose from the last under Bryan Cooper to edge out West Cork Wildway by three-parts of a length.

HENRY de Bromhead’s Popong (9/4) showed substantial progress from her debut second over fences at Tipperary two months ago to win an eventful Ballygarry House Hotel Mares Novice Chase.

The favourite, Western Victory, produced a good display up front but coming to the last in this two-and-a-half-mile affair she still hadn’t subdued either Rapid Response or the Rachael Blackmore-ridden winner and she then came down after clipping the top of the final fences which she certainly didn’t deserve. This left Rapid Response in front, but the Debbie Halley-owned Popong, who made a few errors, forged ahead late on.

“Conditions wouldn’t have been ideal for her and her jumping went to pot a little bit halfway through the race,” remarked de Bromhead. “Rachael nursed her around and we got back into it. Obviously we had a bit of luck at the last but I’m delighted for the lads. It’s great to get her to win one over fences.”

Stacks Mountain (5/2) also struck for the trainer and Rachael Blackmore in the Brandon Hotel Beginners Chase over two and three quarter miles. One of the fences in this race was omitted due to the ground and two more came out due to the sun, which left just eight fences to jump.

Stacks Mountain produced a solid round of jumping and took charge coming away from the last (the usual three out) for an eight-length triumph over Pilbara.

“He jumped well and he enjoys an ease in the ground so he’ll stay going for the winter and it’s nice to get a winner for his owner, John Byrne, down here,” reported the trainer.

THE card ended with a scarcely credible Listowel Vintners Association-sponsored bumper over two and a half miles where Costalotmore won by some 39 lengths, but this doesn’t begin to tell the story of the race.

The winning jockey Tiernan Power Roche, whose last racecourse success came here in June 2018, allowed his free-running mount to lead before the field had gone half a mile and the Richard O’Keeffe-trained six-year-old built up a colossal advantage.

A dual point-to-point winner and placed in a bumper at Cork in April 2019 last time out, Costalotmore was at least a furlong clear early on the final circuit and even at this stage it was clear he would take some catching. He was still many lengths clear turning in and he coasted home in splendid isolation over the last couple of furlongs.

A stewards’ inquiry was called and all riders apart from the winning jockey were interviewed, but unlike similar instances in the past, there were no bans handed out.

In their evidence, the riders were ‘collectively of the view that the winner had run free for much of the race and slipped the field before maintaining this lead to the line’. The explanations were merely noted.

The Desmond Ellard-owned and -bred six-year-old was making his debut for O’Keeffe, who bred Finian’s Oscar and has had the likes of Kilbricken Storm through his hands.

“We didn’t think we had him as ready as that. I knew he’d stay but he hadn’t run in a while and I thought he could blow up. He’ll probably go for a two-and-a-half-mile maiden hurdle now,” stated the trainer.