PERTEMPS NETWORK

FINAL (LISTED)

A DECADE on from the last Irish success in the race, Mall Dini was produced in the form of his life by Galway trainer Pat Kelly to claim the Pertemps Network Final under Davy Russell.

Almost exactly a year on from his racecourse debut at Limerick, the Philip Reynolds-owned gelding once again showed what Kelly is capable of given the opportunity.

Back in the 1990s the trainer landed Galway Hurdles with Natalies Fancy and then No Tag and this desperately tricky handicap was providing Kelly with his biggest win since he bagged the Ballybrit showpiece in 1995.

Mall Dini, whose form earlier in the season included a third to Yorkhill at Punchestown, had run with notable credit in several quality handicaps after landing a Thurles maiden hurdle just prior to Christmas.

That form gave him a chance and that allied to drying ground and a vintage Davy Russell saw the Milan gelding give both his owner and trainer and victory they will surely cherish forever more.

Just as he was on Diamond King the previous afternoon Russell was patience personified on the 14/1 chance, who he kept towards the rear before then allowing him to creep into contention from the third last onwards. Mall Dini still had work to do on the long run to the last but he had closed right up on the leaders as this flight loomed and then he found extra to assert on the run in.

The winner did shift a little left after the last and this in turn in resulted in an enquiry but there was never any threat of the three quarter length winning margin over Arpege D’alene being overturned.

“He’s been running well at home, giving a lot of weight away to horses.

“Cheltenham is the Olympics and to have a winner here is great,” stated Kelly, whose charge is likely to go chasing next term.

“It’s third time lucky for me here. My first runner here broke a leg coming down the hill in the Supreme Novices when leading and my other runner here unseated a few years later.

“I’ve only got a small number of horses. Philip (Reynolds) and I have been friends for quite a while now and he wanted me to get him a horse. I saw this horse and bought him off Tom Costello junior – “I worked for his dad. Tom said he was a nice horse so I went down with Philip and he bought him.”