ACTING STEWARDS:

S. McDonagh (Chair), M.J. Doyle, P. Coveney. M.F.O’Donoghue

HORSE TO FOLLOW:

ASK NILE (Seamus Neville): A point-to-point winner who showed plenty ability on his first hurdles start today, staying on well when a runner-up in the opener. He should open his account in a similar event before long.

RUBY Walsh returned from his American heroics to ride at Cork on Sunday and the champion jockey kept his followers satisfied with a pair of winners, 24 hours after winning the American Grand National at Far Hills on Rawnaq.

Walsh’s victory in New Jersey was the latest in a long list of high-profile successes for a jockey approaching legendary status and his Cork wins came aboard The Fitz Lady and New Kid In Town.

Walsh’s ride on The Fitz Lady (10/1) was excellently judged. He arrived with a late flourish when forging to the front on the run-in for a two and three-quarter-length win in the Christmas Party Package Handicap Hurdle.

Winning trainer Eric McNamara wasn’t present for the Colm Horgan-owned mare, but Walsh later commented: “I landed (at Dublin airport) 10 minutes early this morning, at 8.20am, dropped Gillian (his wife) home and headed here.”

Regarding The Fitz Lady, he added: “It’s that kind of a handicap where anything can win it. She pinged the second last, got a run and flew to the last, really pinged it and landed motoring.”

Walsh doubled his score later in the afternoon on Bowes Lodge Stables Partnership’s New Kid In Town (1/6), for his employer Willie Mullins, in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Rated Novice Chase. The winner made all and stayed on well in the straight for a one and three-quarter length win over Vinnie Luck.

Following the race, Mullins said: “He didn’t jump well at Clonmel but jumped well today and got his confidence back together. I think we could try two miles, six furlongs with him again and he looked today like he would go farther. His pedigree suggests like he won’t be a middle of winter horse and it’s grand that he is winning now.”

RIVALRY

Mullins’ principal rival at the head of the trainers’ championship, Gordon Elliott was himself on the mark twice at the fixture winning with a pair of Gigginstown House Stud-owned horses: Blood Crazed Tiger and Morgan.

Blood Crazed Tiger, under David Mullins, followed-up a recent Gowran win when landing the I.N.H. Stallion Owners EBF Novice Hurdle. The 8/11 favourite raced keenly for most of the three-mile trip but kept going well and made all for his two-length win over Oathkeeper.

Elliott later stated: “Two and a half miles could be his trip and going faster would suit him better. He dropped him in at Gowran but today was a cat-and-mouse race. He’s a chaser in the making and I’ll probably drop him back to two miles, four furlongs next time.”

Elliott, and Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown, doubled-up in the final Cork National November 6th Bumper with 2/1 chance Morgan, under useful claimer Luke McGuinness, who scored a two and a quarter-length win over the Willie Mullins-trained Bargy Lady.

Following the race, Elliott said: “He’s a grand horse but is still raw and he might stay in bumpers this year. He’s a nice horse but he’s only a baby and I’ll chat with the lads and he could wait to go hurdling next season.”

Another yard in flying form is John Ryan’s and the Templemore trainer landed the featured Grade B Cork Racecourse Kinsale Handicap Chase with the Danny Mullins-ridden and John Patrick Ryan-owned Draycott Place (7/2).

The winner made all for a three and three-quarter-length win over Another Rebel. Following the race a delighted Ryan stated: “We’ll try and win another big handicap chase and either himself or Kylecrue will run in the Paddy Power (at Leopardstown). I knew he had a serious chance and he could go to Galway for a two mile, one furlong handicap chase in a few weeks.

“He’s only a young horse being a seven-year-old and I think he is nearly as good as Foildubh (stablemate). Foildubh was only beaten seven or eight lengths in the Lexus Chase so has a bit to go to beat him yet but the beautiful thing is that he can run anywhere between two and three miles. My horses are holding their form well but the likes of Draycott Place and Kylecrue are proper horses.”

Racing got underway with the Corkracecourse.ie Maiden Hurdle, which was won by the Jessica Harrington-trained Light That (11/4 joint favourite) for owners Flyers Syndicate), by two and a half lengths from Ask Nile. He was ridden by Paul Townend.

Harrington wasn’t present but Townend later said: “We didn’t go any gallop and he had a good look in front. It wasn’t the plan to make it but he popped the first well and let him stride on. He improved form his first run (over hurdles) and hopefully can improve again - he’s a fine stamp of a horse.”

Trainer Paul Nolan was on the mark in the Ticket Sales Online Handicap Hurdle when his Summerhill Lewis (7/1) scored a narrow success under Jonathan Moore.

The son of Beneficial moved into contention in the home straight and in the end fought off the challenge of Wilcos Mo Chara for a neck win.

Nolan’s brother and assistant James Nolan commented: “We thought a lot of him initially but he was quite keen in his maiden hurdles and it was my mistake running him on deep winter ground.

“He’ll run in something similar next and hopefully the handicapper won’t be too hard on him as he only just got up to win.”