MULTIPLE Grade 1 winning hurdler Bellshill, from the all-conquering Willie Mullins yard, is proving to be just as effective over the larger obstacles and made it two from two over fences with an authoritative round of jumping under Paul Townend in the Grade 2 Shannon Airport Novice Chase on the opening day of Limerick’s Christmas Festival.

Andrea and Graham Wylie’s 4/9 favourite came here on the back of an impressive chasing debut at Gowran Park and, bar one mistake in the back straight, could not be faulted. The six-year-old King’s Theatre gelding was never out of the first three and looked to be travelling best of all turning in.

Heading his stablemate Haymount after two out, Bellshill was driven out to score with plenty in hand by a comfortable three and a quarter lengths.

A step up to three miles looks well within his compass and Townend’s first reaction was: “It was a good performance, I thought. He picked up well off the last bend, ‘winged’ the second last and put the race to bed from there.

“He missed one down the back, but it was a novicey mistake and, on the whole, he jumped brilliantly. It was a decent performance. It’s hard work out there, but the chase course didn’t ride as soft as the hurdle course.”

The trainer and jockey combination also struck in the Futureticketing.ie Maiden Hurdle with Susannah Ricci’s well-supported 6/4 favourite Bravissimo, who successfully overcame a 737-day absence, being pushed out from the last to master Bobo Mac by three lengths. The duo pulled seven lengths clear of Champagne Classic.

Townend remarked: “He did it well, jumped great and travelled well throughout the race. The ground is probably (testing) enough for a horse that has been off for as long as he has, but he’s done the business anyway.”

MULLINS TREBLE

Winner number three on the card for Mullins came courtesy of another market leader, Miss Sapphire, who collected at the first time of asking in the Lyons of Limerick Jaguar & Land Rover Mares Flat Race.

Racing in the colours of the Blue Blood Racing Club, headed by James Fenton and made up of Gardaí from all over the country, the 4/11 favourite was sent to the front by Patrick Mullins well over a furlong out.

Kept at full stretch, the Flemensfirth filly, from the family of Hennessy winner Strong Flow, picked up really well to defeat Good To Flow by a three and three-quarter length margin. Her rider commented: “She was very good. It’s great for the syndicate, who have her leased off Mag Mullins, so Danny (her son) put the pressure on us today!”

Mullins jnr. added: “She was very lazy but, in that ground, that’s an advantage and I think there’s more to come from her. We’ll look for a mares’ winners’ bumper and she’ll jump a fence in time. She’ll go hurdling next season.”

The stewards held a running and riding enquiry into the sixth-placed Krisdenoel but, after hearing veterinary evidence that the mare was found to be coughing post-race, they noted the explanations proferred and took no further action.

BRACE OF WINNERS

Jockey Sean McDermott, who divides his year between riding in America and Ireland and is currently back home until March, made his presence felt with two winners.

Val De Ferbet was responsible for the first leg when giving the rider’s good friend Andy McNamara, who recently became a father, double cause for celebration with an overdue success in the Signsplus Hurdle.

Owned by Andrew Heffernan, who was away on holiday, the 7/1 chance was left with the race at his mercy by the fall of Runfordave at the penultimate flight and safely popped the last for a half-length win over Alto Esqua. The favourite Allblak Des Places, reported to have tired quickly at the top of the hill, had to settle for fifth.

McNamara commented: “He’s been second four times for us and, as I said only this morning, his consistency has been flattering! Today was the plan but, if he had won in Clonmel, we were going to have a crack at the three-mile Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle in Leopardstown.

“There’s a winners’ of two coming up and he’s entered for New Year’s Eve, but it probably comes a bit soon. He’s not a brilliant jumper of fences, but we’ll have to reconsider it at some stage.”

Co. Carlow handler Pat Fahy, who gave McDermott his first ride and his first winner, rowed in with Head Turner’s last gasp neck victory over Goulane Davina in the O’Kelly Brothers Demolition Mares Handicap Chase.

The High Chaparral mare was winning her fourth race for husband and wife Liam and Aisling Hurley from Vicarstown. Fahy stated: “She was always good, but just made a bad mistake last time and it rattled her a bit. I gave her a break and I would just be worried about her on heavy ground. I might give her an entry in the Boylesports Hurdle.”

Members of the GGGE Syndicate from Kinsale had their patience rewarded when the Robert Tyner-trained bottom-weight Pause And Ponder prevailed under Philip Enright in the Mr Binman 0-116 Handicap Chase.

Supported from 7/4 into 6/4 favourite, the eight-year-old was all out at the finish to hold the renewed effort of Lisclogher Lad by half a length.

Tyner’s sister-in-law Catherine O’Driscoll reflected: “Robert’s in Leopardstown where Concordin won. This horse has had a lot of problems and the syndicate have been very patient.” Enright added: “Robert and Mary have done an unbelievable job with him and it’s great when they repay them like that.”

Gigginstown’s Leomar was the gambled-on favourite for the Holmes O’Malley Sexton 3-Y-O Maiden Hurdle, but was never able to get on terms with the same owner’s Tout Est Permis who made all with Andrew Ring in the saddle, to shed his maiden tag by a neck.

Ring, who rides out for the winning trainer Mouse Morris two mornings a week and was riding his second winner for him, said of the 4/1 winner: “He loves the ground, jumped great and stuck at it well. He’ll improve again and the right man has him. He missed the last two and that gave the other horse a chance to come back at me, but he was never going to go by me.”

ATTENDANCE: 13,742

(cancelled in 2015)

ACTING STEWARDS:

J. Moloney, B. Murphy, P. McLernon, Ms J. Farrell, H. Hynes.

HORSE TO FOLLOW

HAYMOUNT (W.P. Mullins): He jumped particularly well in the Grade 2 novice chase, where he lost little in defeat behind his stablemate Bellshill and looks sure to pay his way.