JOCKEY Mark Walsh posted his fourth win of the festive period when bringing the J.P. McManus-owned 4/5 favourite Kitten Rock home an impressive winner of the Listed Irish Independent Hurdle for trainer Edward O’Grady at Limerick last Sunday.

The two-mile event was restricted to four-year-olds that had not won Grade 1 or 2 weight-for-age hurdle race and the French-bred slotted into the line-up on the back of his smooth Grade 3 victory at Naas last month.

Moving into contention with four left to jump Kitten Rock settled the issue between the final two flights and went on to win, with plenty in hand by 14 lengths from Max Dynamite.

O’Grady is evidently quietly excited about Kitten Rock’s potential and said: “He still has the CBA (“could be anything”) suffix and until we know more that will remain with him.

“Potentially he’s a Grade 1 horse over fences and I’m just hoping he will be the same over hurdles.”

Racing opened with yet another Christmas winner for Gordon Elliott in the Irish Field 3-Y-O Maiden Hurdle which fell to his new French recruit Vercingetorix, a dual scorer on the flat in his native land. Jointly owned by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, the 4/5 favourite passed his first test over jumps with flying colours.

Ridden by Davy Condon, the Dylan Thomas colt jumped into the lead at the second last and eased his way home for an easy seven and a half length win over Crystal Pearl. The jockey commented: “He seemed to enjoy the ground and Gordon had him well schooled for today.”

Future plans remain fluid, despite Paddy Power’s introductory quote of 16/1 for the Triumph Hurdle. The trainer’s brother Joey added: “He’s a nice laid-back horse and he jumped and settled well. He’ll learn a lot from it and he’ll go on better ground.”

The Mouse Morris-trained Dromnea gave an exhibition of jumping under Mark Enright to capture the Sporting Limerick Day Beginners Chase in the colours of All Daly. The 100/30 winner had the race sewn up from the final obstacle and was driven out to beat market leader Upsie by two and a half lengths.

Enright said on his return: “He was very good but I got a fright at the start when he just stood there. It took me a couple of fences to get into the race and Mouse said to make use of his jumping. He didn’t seem to mind the ground and definitely chasing is his game.”

Character Actor set up a double for rider Andrew McNamara with a deserved success in the Guinness Veterans Handicap Chase for Killenaule trainer Aidan Kennedy and his English owner John Symes. The 10-year-old held the rallying effort of The Book Thief by a neck in registering his fourth career victory at a price of 12/1.

Kennedy observed: “He’s had loads of niggly little problems and fell at the first last time which is most unlike him. He’s won on the flat, two bumpers and a chase and he’s been knocking at the door so it’s nice to knock another win out of him, and a £15,500 race at that! There’s a new veterans programme now and that gives us something to aim at.”

McNamara followed up on 10/1 shot Don Vincenzo who was a game three-quarter length winner of the Parkway Shopping Centre Maiden Hurdle for the Colin Bowe stable.

The Vinnie Roe gelding was winning his first race for the four member Mob Syndicate from Wicklow and Wexford and his rider reported: “He jumped brilliant the whole way and that’s what won it for me.

“Colin felt he was running a bit tense and catching his breath and decided to drop him out today. It was a good plan by him.”

Jumptoconclusions was well-supported from 11/4 into 9/4 favourite for the BRC McMahon Reinforcements Handicap Hurdle to give Edward O’Grady his second winner of the afternoon. However, he had to settle for the runner-up spot behind The Mad Well (8/1) who ran out the four and a half length winner for trainer Eugene O’Sullivan and the four-way partnership of Pauline Twiss, Stephen O’Brien, Joseph White and Mark O’Sullivan from Killorglin and Glenbeigh.

The trainer was absent but jockey Danny Mullins commented: “The ground probably suited him. Eddie Linehan plays a big part in Eugene’s yard and he’s a good friend of mine. He used to be at Willie’s (Mullins) - we were both apprentices at the same time and he put me in for the ride.”

There was a poignant outcome to the King John’s Castle Flat Race which went the way of Ryback Jack whose trainer Davy Fitzgerald’s mother Delia sadly passed away recently.

The 8/1 winner races in the colours of the Now Ya Know Syndicate whose members are “a good bunch of lads from Sligo and Ballinrobe.”

Ryback Jack was giving his 16-year-old pilot Finny Maguire his third success on the track when landing the odds by one and a half lengths. Fitzgerald, who was accompanied by his father Pat, a rare visitor to the track, reflected: “That was long overdue. I was worried he wouldn’t handle the heavy ground but he has a future.

“He wasn’t broken until he was a five-year-old and I named him Jack after Pearly Jack because he’s a similar type of horse. Today was his last chance in a bumper and he has a bright future when he goes jumping.”