ROBBIE Power was on duty for Willie Mullins at Thursday’s Clonmel fixture where Koshari sealed a near 47/1 treble for the stable in the Suir Valley Chase, despite a scare at the last fence. Sent off 6/4 joint-favourite with the disappointing third-placed Valseur Lido, the French-bred slowed right up at the obstacle, but recovered his momentum to see off Fine Theatre by seven and a half lengths in the colours of Susannah Ricci.

The six-year-old son of Walk In The Park was last seen being pulled up behind Monalee in Grade 1 company at the Dublin Racing Festival and his trainer remarked: “He’s just not a natural jumper in that ground (officially heavy), but he was able to get from A to B because they went a slow pace.

“I’ll find another race like that for him around the country before the end of the season and I’ll go out in trip with him. Robbie knows him well and has ridden him twice before and I just stuck him in at the last minute when I saw there were so few runners.”

The trainer’s second in command, Paul Townend was aboard Closutton’s first strike Causey Arch who gave the Merchants & Missionaries Partnership, made up of Stobart’s Andrew Tinkler and partner who have had plenty of flat horses in training in Britain with Richard Fahey, their first jumps winner in the Holy Thursday Maiden Hurdle.

Much of the interest here centred around the favourite Dorydalis and the J.P. McManus representative It’s Only A Number, but the complexion of the race changed when the front-running Dorydalis fell at the fifth flight, hampering Mark Walsh’s mount who was brought to a complete standstill and pulled up.

Hurdling debutant Causey Arch, a fair handicapper on the flat, took over at the third last and, despite some bunching between himself, Robin Can Do and the staying-on Internal Transfer at the penultimate obstacle, had three and a quarter lengths to spare at the finish.

Townend observed: “He’ll improve a lot jumping wise. I was just trying to hang on to him there and he was very green over the last two. He’d probably appreciate looser ground than that and hopefully he can build on it.”

SUSPENSION

With his son Patrick currently serving his Cheltenham suspensions, Mullins then supplied 23-year-old Billy Gleeson, who started his career with John Ferguson and is a son of Knocklong handler John Gleeson, with his first racecourse success aboard 5/2 chance Castlebawn West in the concluding Happy Easter To You All INH Flat Race.

Hitting the front well over a furlong out, the five-year-old was chased home, two and a quarter lengths back in second, by Gallowglass. Castlebawn West is owned by the three-way partnership of Rose Boyd, Marie Armstrong and James Boyce Anderson and his trainer said: “Billy’s ridden three point-to-point winners and is a good member of the team. He does a lot of the schooling and work at home.”

Kilworth-based Sean O’Brien ended a long lean spell by saddling his first winner for two years when R’evelyn Pleasure, with Donagh Meyler in the saddle, did the business for his Shannon owner Mark McDonagh by 21 lengths at the favourite Steer Clear’s expense in the Ardfinnan Maiden Hurdle.

“He’s a lovely homebred horse and Mark bought into him a good while ago,” was the post-race explanation from the Cork trainer who added: “Things just didn’t work out for him in bumpers and he took a long while to come back.

“I trained his grandmother, who was a very good bumper mare, and he loves jumping hurdles. A better gallop and better ground would suit him. We’ll keep him going and he could be one for a nice two-mile handicap.”

GOOD RUN

Paul Nolan’s good run continued with a convincing success for Kay Browne’s Rooster Byron in the Slievenamon Beginners Chase. Throwing down his challenge to the favourite Veneziano Springs at the second last, the 11/4 winner was left with the race for the taking when his rival crashed out at the final obstacle.

The Oscar gelding “hasn’t been an easy horse to train,” according to the trainer who admitted: “He was probably very lucky at the last. It was a race for horses rated 109 or less and the race was there, so we didn’t go back for a hurdle race.”

Oliver McKiernan’s previous course victor Luckyinmilan looked potentially well handicapped when posting his second win under Barry Browne in the Adare Manor Opportunity Handicap Chase. Making virtually all, the Keep The Faith’s Syndicate’s 2/1 favourite was joined by Highest Benefit at the second last, but a slow jump by the latter at the last enabled Luckyinmilan to regain the advantage for a half-length win.

The trainer paid tribute to his charge with the comment: “He’ll keep going at whatever pace he’s asked and he’s honest, too.

“That was an exceptional ride by Barry because you’d really want to know him. He’s a real soft ground horse, but he owes us nothing at this stage.”

Analyse That is another horse who has been cultivating the winning habit of late and the 8/1 shot was good value for his two and a quarter-length win over I’m Serious in the Vee Handicap Hurdle when supplementing last month’s Thurles success for his Tallow owner/trainer Sean Aherne and rider Sheila Ahern, registering her 11th winner on the track.

“He’s after relaxing travelling to the races – before he would be drowned with sweat,” said Aherne. “But he was running in big fields in handicaps and I think he’s better in smaller fields. He’s a fun horse and we’ll have a bit of sport with him.”

Hand suspended

CLAIMER Danny Hand was suspended for two days for using his whip on the sixth-placed Fr Gilligansvoyage with both excessive frequency and unnecessarily, having clearly obtained his best possible placing.

Acting Stewards

P.F. Ronan, M. Magnier, P. Dowling, P.D. Matthews.

HORSE TO FOLLOW

REACH UP (J. P. Ryan): A first-time tongue tie seemed to be doing the trick on this front-runner who was not out of it when coming unstuck at the second last in the maiden hurdle restricted to horses that have not finished in the first three under any rules.