GORDON Elliott and Jack Kennedy dominated Cork’s Sunday fixture and registered first successes in the Grade 2 Bar 1 Betting Hilly Way Chase with Found A Fifty (3/1), which formed part of a four-timer for the trainer.

The five-runner race featured the seasonal return of Willie Mullins’ J.P. McManus-owned high-class Majborough (4/6 favourite), whose previous run came when winning easily at the Punchestown festival in May.

While Majborough led, his jumping was both untidy and to the left, which resulted in him surrendering lengths. A blunder at the second-last saw race-fit Found A Fifty go by the leader, with a length and a half separating the pair at the line.

It was the fourth win of the afternoon for both Kennedy and Elliott, who later commented: “We had fitness on our side and the rain that fell suited us. He stayed going well. It’s great to win those pots. Today might have been our day to catch Majborough napping.

“Found A Fifty is a great horse and that’s his level. To be fair, Majborough made mistakes so handed the race to us and today might have been our Gold Cup.

“It is a great race to win. This is my first time winning it. He wins a big race every year, so we are lucky to have him. He is in at Leopardstown over Christmas, I’ll talk to Noel and Valerie (Moran, owners) and see.”

Smart show from Kala Conti

Elliott and Kennedy had earlier bagged the day’s other Grade 2 contest, the Coolmore NH Irish EBF (Mares) Novice Chase with Robcour’s Kala Conti (11/4), who scored smartly from the Willie Mullins-trained County Hurdle-winner Kargese.

While Kargese was making her chasing debut, Kala Conti had scored over fences at today’s course in November and proved much too strong, scoring by 16 lengths having led at the second-last.

Elliott reported: “Kala Conti isn’t the biggest in the world but has a great attitude and had her ears pricked after two fences today. It looked like she wanted to stop with her ears pricked going down the back straight so Paul (Townend, on Kargese) went on which suited us grand, as it made for a good test of stamina.

Blacktype achieved

“I thought it was a good performance. She has a big heart. I ran her in a Grade 1 last season which knocked the edge off her at the end of the season but she has blacktype now so it is great.

“Today’s race wasn’t really the plan but, after winning recently, we stuck her in and then decided that we had to take our chance.

“She deserves a little break now having had two quick runs. It is a long way to go before assessing possible Cheltenham options.”

Lord lays down the law

GORDON Elliott and Jack Kennedy had earlier teamed up with Robcour’s Lord Rouge to win division one of the Bar 1 Casino Maiden Hurdle.

Lord Rouge (100/30) was pressed by the Willie Mullins-trained favourite Dani Donadoni in the home straight but finished well to score by a length and three quarters, with 24 lengths back to third-placed Mahon Falls.

Elliott said: “He is a fine big horse, there is plenty of improvement in him and Jack said he took a good blow.

“The conditions suited him and I’d say he is a three-mile chaser in the making, so whatever he does this year will be a bonus. We’ll find somewhere, probably at Limerick, for a winners’ race on soft ground next over Christmas.”

The same trainer and jockey also landed the second division of the race, as Kazansky (3/1) capitalised on the final flight-fall of leader Le Labo, when beating Splendid Fellow by a length and three quarters.

The winning trainer stated: “We had luck on our side although Jack said that, while he didn’t know if he’d have beaten the faller, he was only getting into top gear at the time. We fell at the last hurdle in today’s first race, so that’s the game we’re in.

“He is a grand, honest horse, he jumps and gallops so we’ll have plenty of fun with him. We’ll find something for him over Christmas now. Damien Lavelle [from Damree Developments Ltd] owns him. This is his second horse with me, having previously had flat horses.”

Last flight faller

Elliott and Kennedy had contrasting fortune in the opening Bar 1 Betting 3-Y-O Maiden Hurdle, as their Manoir De Mirande held a length lead and looked a likely winner, only to fall at that final flight.

The race was won by the Joseph O’Brien-trained, E.S. Racing-owned Glen To Glen, which scored under jockey Richie Deegan.

Deegan said: “We trotted around, went very slow and, being a horse coming off the flat, he has a bit of boot. He was able to travel into the straight and, while I don’t know how Jack (Kennedy, on leader Manoir De Mirande) was going - I’d say he wasn’t stopping, but he battled on.

“He had a little look at the last but has come on in his hurdle runs and hopefully he can keep progressing.”

THE Grade 3 Joe Buckley Construction Stayers Novice Hurdle provided a talking point as winner Good Girl Kathleen (7/2) seemed to hugely benefit from racing along the inside, whereas her four rivals raced wide and in the hope of finding better ground.

Enterprisingly ridden by Donagh Meyler and having her first run on heavy ground, Good Gird Kathleen saved many lengths and won easily from Quantum Quest. Mullins revealed: “We talked beforehand about going around the inside and I told Donagh that if it wasn’t working at halfway, to change tactics, so he had free rein.

“Obviously, the bends are well cut up but definitely in the straights there is a nice patch of fresh ground on the inside so we felt there was potentially an angle. It is great that it worked out.”

Regarding the Lions Mouth Racing Club’s mare, who is out of a half-sister to Faugheen, successful trainer Emmet Mullins reported: “She is going the right way, Donagh was very confident coming and she is a mare on the up. She has a great pedigree, doesn’t lack a gear either and could come back in trip.”

Cromwell winner

Gold Cup-winning trainer Gavin Cromwell was on the mark in the Bar 1 Betting Handicap Hurdle, as his Gallivantors Syndicate’s Dgalwaygallivantor (12/1) made a winning return following a 15-month absence.

Ridden by Conor Stone-Walsh, Dgalwaygallivantor was initially held up in rear-division before eventually leading in the closing stages, before scoring by a neck from Happy Dreams.

Cromwell commented: “The price (12/1) might say it was a surprise but it wasn’t, although it was his first run for a long time. It was a big field but he was off a lower mark over hurdles than fences and he likes that ground. I fancied him to run well. He is a fine big horse and hopefully he can go on a bit.”

Local winner

Locally-owned The Anniversary Man (5/1) landed the concluding Greenvalley Transport Novice Handicap Hurdle - run in memory of the late jockey Mikey O’Connor, when following up a recent Thurles success for trainer Jimmy Barcoe and jockey Dan King.

The six-year-old fought off 23 rivals to score by a neck from Rowdy.

Barcoe reported: “It is brilliant to win this race as I rode in point-to-points with Mikey and it is a terrible tragedy what happened. It was important for Dylan (his jockey son) to be here and hopefully he can continue his father’s legacy.”

He added: “I’m always looking to buy a horse like this one, although it is hard to buy them. He is improving, is still quite green and Dan was brilliant on him again.

“His attitude was brilliant and it is great that he has won on that testing ground. We’ll see how he is before making a plan.

“The horses’ owners, the Joyce family, are from across the road where they run a garden centre, so this is great.”