Channor Real Estate Group Novice Hurdle (Grade 1)

HARRY Derham has been making a massively favourable impression in his opening years in the training ranks, and announcing his talents at the Grade 1 table for the first time clearly meant the world to him at the Punchestown Festival. He has a most exciting prospect on his hands in the unbeaten Le Frimeur (18/1), who wasn’t for passing in the Channor Real Estate Group Novice Hurdle under J.J. Slevin.

A point-to-point winner for Pat Doyle before a pair of relatively low-key hurdle victories for Derham at Chepstow and Newbury, a considerable step up in class and trip only brought out the best in Simon Munir and Isaac Souede’s five-year-old.

Under a positive ride, it looked as though he was about to face a stiff challenge from recent Grade 1 winner Zanoosh (11/4 favourite), but he swatted her away readily to score by a comprehensive six and a half lengths. The strong-travelling I Started A Joke earned a Grade 1 placing back in third, in turn, finishing clear of the Albert Bartlett runner-up Fruit De Mer in fourth.

“It sounds like a cliche but I genuinely dream about training Grade 1 winners so this is absolutely unreal,” said Derham of the 33/1 shot for next year’s Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase.

“Obviously it makes it an awful lot easier with very good horses. Simon actually grabbed me on the arm at this meeting last year and said he was going to send me this horse. To have the access to horses like this is something unbelievable.

“He got a little setback in the autumn and he’s just improved and improved all spring. We had no idea how good he was coming here - and I’m still not sure we do, to be honest. J.J. said he did plenty wrong in the race and he’s beaten a quality field well. It’s absolutely unreal.

“We obviously believed in the horse a lot, or else we wouldn’t have brought him here. J.J. thought three miles was the right thing to do. I would think he’ll jump a fence next year, I’ll do as I’m told.”

Beaten reaction

Colm Murphy, trainer of Zanoosh (second)

“She ran a blinder and full credit to the winner. Even if it’s disappointing to get her beaten, to back it up again as she has at the end of a long season, we’re very proud of her. The decision that will have to be made now is to whether she’ll go chasing next season. I don’t see why she wouldn’t, so if they want to go that route it’ll be fantastic.”