JAMES Grace registered his biggest training success when his veteran De Benno landed the featured Grade B Tim Duggan Memorial Handicap Chase at Limerick on Wednesday.

Winning jockey Cathal Landers was completing a first career double on De Benno, who was himself gaining his fourth career win and, oddly given his age of 12, from a career high rating of 119.

Afterwards a delighted Grace said: “He’s getting better as he is getting older; every other year he’d go wrong and he’s had an awful lot of problems but, touch wood, he seems to be tipping away recently.

“The ground really suited him, he had a light weight on his back and Cathal gave him a super ride.

“He could go for the Dan Moore Chase (Fairyhouse) next – it depends on what the handicapper does to him though. He’ll probably run if he gets into the handicap. We could also give him a run in a hurdle race as he’s rated much lower over hurdles.

“That’s my first graded win as a trainer but I’ve had some good winners trained by Noel Meade. I’ve four horses in training and it’s a hobby, but it’s still nice to make a few quid out of it!”

DOUBLE

Landers had earlier won the Roches Feeds Handicap Hurdle on the Jimmy Barcoe-trained Allez Kal, who scored a 14-length win for owner Yvonne Hennessy.

Barcoe later commented: “On her run the last day she deserved her turn. She met a nice horse the last day and I’d have been disappointed if she wasn’t there or thereabouts today. She is only starting to get the hang of things and has learned to jump better.”

There were many wide margin winners on the day and the Ray Hackett-trained Crackerdancer, under jockey Eoin O’Brien, was the widest winner, scoring an impressive 25-length win in the David Fitzgerald Mares Maiden Hurdle.

A treble bumper winner, the daughter of Robin Des Champs routed her rivals and afterwards Hackett commented: “She was good and I was very impressed. She is maybe too brave at times, she’ll have a cut if you let her and in fairness Eoin gave her a great ride.

“She was having a good look around over the first few and hopefully will improve a good bit from it which would be great. I think we’d have to look at the Mares’ Novice Hurdle at Cheltenham now – I don’t see why not. She’s not a mud-lark, and if there’s ease in it (ground) she’s fine. If there’s any juice at all, she’ll be fine but you wouldn’t like to chance her on really quick ground.

“There’s a mares’ novice hurdle for her next at Fairyhouse on the second week in February and after that, we’ll let Patsy and Sharon (O’Brien, owners) decide on Cheltenham.”

Racing began with the Goggin Buckley Maiden Hurdle which was won impressively by the Willie Mullins-trained and Susannah Ricci-owned Sympa Des Flos, who scored under jockey Danny Mullins.

The heavily-backed Evens favourite won easily and afterwards jockey Mullins stated: “It was a good performance. He had been fairly solid in his form up to now and the step up in trip probably suited. Fingers crossed he’ll go on to do a bit more.

ANNOUNCE

The Earl of Harrington Memorial Maiden Hunters Chase produced another wide margin winner as Burning Ambition announced himself to the hunters chase world with a smart performance to credit trainer Pierce Power and jockey Rob James, a Point-to-point Novice Riders Champion, with their first racecourse winners.

The triple point-to-point winner was sent off a well-backed 4/6 favourite and won easily.

Afterwards Co Wexford-based Power stated: “Everything we’ve asked him to do this year, he’s done. The dream is Cheltenham and he is now qualified but he’ll have to get another run because he lacks experience going over there.

“My sister-in-law Alexandria Gardner originally owned him then the lads (Ed Tynan, Kieran MacLennan, Paul Shanahan and J.P. Magnier) got involved and, fair play to them, they had left me do my own thing with him and have given him plenty time. Because he is such a big horse, we said we’d look after him so fair play to the lads for waiting.

“I have 15 in at home, some pre-trainers and we are mainly a point-to-point yard. He is the only horse we have for the track. That’s my first and Rob James’ first racecourse winners. I’m 34 and have the license three years but haven’t run many on the track yet. We’ll keep doing what we’re doing and we’re a selling yard but any trainer in the country would be delighted to get horses like him and I’m very lucky to have owners like the lads.

“Rob is class and is the best young rider around - when Jamie (Codd) and Derek (O’Connor) call it a day, it will be up to the likes of him and Jimmy O’Rourke to take over.”

HALF-SISTER

Total Recall’s half-sister Rock On Lily followed up her recent Clonmel win with another win in the BRC McMahon Reinforcements Handicap Hurdle, scoring under jockey Paddy Kennedy.

Winning owner/trainer Tom Donohue later said: “It makes a big difference being able to dictate from the front and we’ll see how she comes out of this now. We’ll look for something similar next.”

The concluding Provimilk Milk Replacer Rated Novice Hurdle was won by the Paul Nolan-trained, Donie McInerney-partnered Monotype, who got the better of a battle with Wait Here to gain a first hurdles success.

Nolan said: “We tried to bully him a couple of times and it didn’t suit and I said to Donie that it was bottomless and it might suit to be going that bit easier. I said to jump him off handy but to keep taking him back. He had good form on the flat but hadn’t ran that often which was a little bit of a worry and he’s not easy to train but thankfully he jumped that bit better today.

“Thanks to Gerry Hogan (bloodstock agent) for buying him and at least he’s after winning now. We’ll probably go for a handicap next and hopefully there won’t be too much done with him after that.”

Acting Stewards

T Rudd, M O’Driscoll, J M Smith, C Powell & H Hynes

Horse to follow

BURNING AMBITION (P. Power): looks a potentially top-class hunter chaser in the making and is worth following next time out.