REST OF THE CARD

AN advantageous hurdles rating that looked too good to pass up yielded yet another well endowed prize for Total Recall who more than justified his position as the 5/6 favourite in the three-mile William Fry Handicap Hurdle.

The Slaneyville Syndicate-owned gelding was making his first appearance since his Ladbrokes Trophy victory at Newbury two months previously. That success was preceded by an ultra-smooth Munster National victory which meant that Total Recall’s chase rating stood some 31lbs higher than the one he held over hurdles.

Such a differential made this an irresistible race to target and Total Recall was never subjected to maximum pressure by Paul Townend, although he did give his supporters some anxious moments by racing rather keenly.

The Westerner gelding found himself in front with a circuit to run but this mattered little in a race where very few got involved. As he turned for home, the Mullins horse dealt with Flawless Escape and he readily contained the effort of Oscar Knight to score by three lengths.

KEEN

“He was very keen and Paul didn’t think the pace would be as slow as it was but he didn’t fight the horse and let him on,” stated Mullins. “The Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse could be next for him. He’s is in the Gold Cup too.”

Alletrix, who was returned a very well-backed 4/1 favourite, paid a striking compliment to her recent Fairyhouse conqueror Laurina in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Paddy Mullins Mares Handicap Hurdle. That Fairyhouse run earned Jessica Harrington’s charge a 9lb hike in the ratings but she was able to take her chance off her old mark and took full advantage under Robbie Power.

The Sally Rowley-Williams-owned mare cruised into a commanding lead on the run to the last hurdle and she shrugged off a final flight mistake to dish out a seven and a half-length beating to the back-to-form Barra.

Alletrix is a succesful exponent of the innovative series of maiden hurdles restricted to horses that cost €30,000 or less at a recognised store sale.

“I suppose the handicapper was right. There’s not much of her so the light weight helped her and so did the rain last night,” reflected Harrington. “Apart from the last she jumped like a buck and the plan is now to go to Limerick for a Grade 3 next month and then on to Fairyhouse at Easter.”

CAREER

In-form jockey Adam Short saw his claim reduced from 7lbs to 5lbs as he bagged the biggest success of his career on Liz Doyle’s Last Goodbye (12/1) in the €100,000 Chanelle Pharma Handicap Chase.

A bold showing at Cheltenham last year suggested that a good prize could come the way of this gelding and the application of blinkers and a tongue-tie for the first time had the desired effect.

Vieux Morvan looked as though he could be ready to cap an incredible weekend for Joseph O’Brien when he strode on after the second last. However, Last Goodbye came with a relentless surge to collar him on the run in and he forged away late on to score by nine lengths.

“He was running well in the Troytown when he split the fourth last and off his Cheltenham run last season he was up to winning one of these,” commented a delighted Liz Doyle. “The blinkers and the tongue-tie both helped him today and he got a beautiful ride off a very good claiming jockey. On better ground we’ll look at going for the three-mile handicap chase at Cheltenham with him.”

Relegate made it seven winners over the two days for Willie Mullins as she followed up a debut success at Punchestown in the Grade 2 Coolmore NH Sires Irish EBF Mares INH Flat Race. The meeting’s top trainer also saddled the odds-on Colreevy but she and the others were struggling to reel in the Paul McKeon-owned mare when she surged to the front before the turn in.

Relegate (16/1) maintained an unrelenting gallop in the straight and this enabled her to keep Colreevy at bay while the staying-on Getaway Katie Mai could only get to within a length and a half.

“She’s improved hugely from her first run and I’m hoping that she will improve again,” observed Mullins. “I’d be happy to go to Cheltenham after that but I think we’ll look at the mares’ bumper options that are around and one possible would be the good mares’ bumper at Sandown just before Cheltenham.”

ACTING STEWARDS

T. Hunt, L. McFerran, F. Clarke, Mrs T.K. Cooper, P.D. Matthews

HORSE TO FOLLOW

TINTANGLE (G. Elliott): This Yeats half-sister to Tombstone made a fine start to her career by taking fourth in the Grade 2 mares’ bumper.

She put in some nice work in the closing stages to suggest that she is a mare with a future.

Espoir disappoints

GAVIN Cromwell was understandably disappointed with the fourth-place effort of Espoir D’Allen in the juvenile hurdle.

“He was very keen early on and that didn’t help on the ground. We’ll get him checked out and see if there is an underlying problem,” he said.

Loughran ban

ROGER Loughran picked up a one-day careless riding ban after partnering Flawless Escape into third in the handicap won by Total Recall.

Stormy Ireland

“wasn’t right”

AFTER the victory of Mr Adjudicator, Willie Mullins reported that Stormy Ireland just “wasn’t right” before last weekend which is why she didn’t appear at Leopardstown.

He is undecided as to whether the filly will go straight for the Triumph Hurdle or have another run before then.

Mullins pleased with novice chasers

WILLIE Mullins was very pleased with the efforts of several of his runners in the Flogas Novice Chase and reported the RSA Chase and the JLT will be considered for the runner-up Al Boum Photo and the third-placed, Invitation Only.