TRAINER Colm Murphy’s Zanoosh (7/4) swerved Cheltenham in favour of running at Limerick on Thursday, where the smart mare completed a four-timer in the featured Grade 3 Boyle Sports Shannon Spray Mares Novice Hurdle.

Murphy’s mare faced stiff opposition in this two-mile, six-furlong hurdle, facing Willie Mullins’ How’s Hannah (1/1 favourite).

While How’s Hannah led entering the home straight, strong-travelling Zanoosh edged ahead before the final flight and held on to score by three-parts of a length.

Regarding the Winning Ways Reunion Syndicate-owned winner, successful jockey Brian Hayes reported: “It was very straightforward. I thought Willie’s mare was the one to beat, so followed her away and, luckily, my mare handled the ground really well and found for pressure.

“There aren’t many horses who win three races in a row, never mind four, and she is thriving on her racing.

“Hopefully she will keep doing that and, when Colm gets one like her, he is dynamite.”

Jockey Hayes had earlier bagged the opening John Buckley Engineering Ltd Hurdle on the Willie Mullins-trained Dschingis Desire (6/4 favourite), for owners Gigginstown House Stud. The filly went by leader and fellow Gigginstown-runner Mode Avion on the run-in to score by a half-length.

Hayes said: “It was a nice performance on the ground - she travelled well and settled well, which was important. That’s her third run for Willie and she has improved on each run, she is tough and will keep going forward.”

Howya hat-trick

Rocky’s Howya (8/11 favourite) was another horse to complete a winning sequence at the fixture, landing a hat-trick in the Play perysbingo.com Veterans Handicap Chase for trainer Declan Queally.

Former champion point-to-pointer Rocky’s Howya, under jockey Kevin Healy, made the running and, while headed entering the home straight, rallied gamely to eventually score by three-parts of a length from West Cork Wildway.

Healy reported: “He probably wasn’t as good as at Naas the last day, but was very good and tough.

“He jumped out where I wanted, he never missed a beat and, while I got headed, he was very quick over the second last and last.

“He is so genuine and I knew if I kept at him going down to the last, that he’d be there with a shout and thankfully he was. David Kiely (owner) is a lovely man to ride a winner for.”

GORDON Elliott bagged the first of two winners on a notable day for the leading trainer in the Boyle Sports Early Payout Maiden Hurdle, with the Josh Williamson-partnered Panjandrum (6/1).

Panjandrum was completing a double at the meeting for Gigginstown House Stud and, more notably, was followed by Wodhooh’s success at Cheltenham to get Elliott off the mark at the festival.

Regarding Panjandrum, jockey Williamson stated: “He travelled well today, which he hadn’t been doing on his last couple of runs and I’d say the pace of the race helped, as they went nice and slow.

“He was able to get his confidence, he jumped well on the whole although he made mistakes at one hurdle down the back and at the second last.

“He stuck out his race better than he had been doing and I actually dropped my stick after the last, which annoyed me, but it didn’t matter.”

’A fine big horse’

Back-to-form trainer Oliver McKiernan landed the William Hill Challenge Series Handicap Hurdle with One And Only (12/1), under jockey Philip Enright. In the colours of Keep The Faith Bloodstock Ltd, One And Only went away from Dalmatic from the last, to score by two lengths.

McKiernan commented: “This morning I wondered should we run the horse on this bottomless ground, but he galloped through it. We left all the headgear off him today and I thought he did it very genuinely.

“There weren’t many of our horses right this season and he wasn’t 100 per cent either and, at Fairyhouse the last day, a horse fell in front of him and he was pulled up. He is a fine big horse and is athletic looking.”

TRAINER Paul Gilligan combined with son and jockey Jack Gilligan to win the AOS Security Novice Handicap Chase with Kings Hill (7/1). The grey gelding took advantage of the second-last fence fall of challenging James The Brave, when scoring by 5.5 lengths from Doyen Magic.

Gilligan senior stated: “He is a good horse, but didn’t get the rub of the green for a while and he had surgery on a kissing spine.

“Since he started jumping fences, he is a different horse.

“Jack is at home with us three days a week, is now with Oliver McKiernan and other local trainers, but it is hard for these guys who are attached to small yards.”

Padraig Butler was later successful in the Party Time Handicap Chase, with nose winner Nolans Rocco (5/1), for the We’ll Have One More Syndicate and under jockey Michael Kenneally. Nolans Rocco was all out to hold off faster-finishing runner-up Snow Punt.

Kenneally reported: “She was honest the whole way around, gave me a lovely spin and she jumped great. She was hanging a small bit turning into the home straight but, over the last two fences, she was brave.”

Honest

The concluding bumper was won by the John McConnell-trained Bois D’angos (16/1), for Rockview Stables and jockey Finn Buckley. The winner was carried left in the final furlong by runner-up Border Lad, but finished well to score by a length and a quarter.

Buckley said: “He was a little green the last day, but still managed to run well in what, I think, will turn out into a good bumper. He is six, but only had the point-to-point run and fell, so with limited experience he was good today.

“I was carried a little left in the straight and he kept plugging on. He came over to John’s from Ben Harvey (jockey), who had him for his point-to-point and, while he has been a while to come good, we were pleased with him the last day.”