ACAPELLA Bourgeois was backed as if defeat was out of the question at Navan last Saturday but couldn’t live with stablemate Polidam in the closing stages of the featured Foxrock Handicap Chase.

Punters lumped on the eventual runner-up who was supported from 5/4 pre-racing into a 4/7 shot on-course.

Willie Mullins also saddled French recruit Polidam in the €50,000 contest and he went to post a 10/1 chance under Danny Mullins.

Having hit the front at the 10th fence, Polidam asserted from the penultimate obstacle to run out a convincing winner in the two and a half-mile contest.

Acapella Bourgeois made little impression in the closing stages, going down by nine lengths.

Mullins said: “The winner certainly enjoys that ground and the trip is no problem to him. We think he’ll improve again.

“Acapella Bourgeois looks to be a lot more settled now. I’d imagine we’ll probably have to go back up in trip.

“We’ll probably try a different trip but he’s handicapped against Irish horses and he would have won easily but for Polidam being in the race.

“We might just have had a nice handicap mark with him. He was unexposed but he has Grade 1 form in France and by the end of the season we might think that wasn’t a bad performance.”

Mullins was completing a quick double on the card after Invitation Only had run out an impressive winner of the preceding Mervyn Gray Construction Beginners Chase.

Paul Townend’s mount made all in the two and a half-mile contest and produced an impeccable round of jumping.

The 2/1 shot stayed on strongly from the final fence to beat Any Second Now by four and a quarter lengths.

“He was very impressive and jumped great. He might be back to what we thought he could have been two years ago,” said Mullins.

Gordon Elliott also saddled a brace on the day with Tombstone proving the highlight when claiming the Grade 3 Klairon Davis Novice Chase.

Jack Kennedy admitted afterwards that his mount had proven a bit tricky during the race but he found plenty when it mattered to land the two-mile, one-furlong contest.

The 10/11 favourite Jett moved up to fight it out from the fourth last with his market rival but even-money shot Tombstone was in front again jumping the second last and powered home to score by three and three-quarter lengths.

The Gigginstown colours were also carried to victory in the concluding bumper when Defi Blue made a winning track debut.

Lisa O’Neill drove the 4/5 shot into the lead with a furlong and a half to run and he galloped on strongly in the closing stages to beat Calicojack by four lengths.

“He’s a fine, big horse. He stays going well and that’s what you want today,” said assistant trainer Ian ‘Busty’ Amond. “Lisa said he didn’t do a whole lot in front but he’s won well.”

There was also a double earlier on the card for Mark Walsh in the J.P. McManus colours, courtesy of Speak Easy and A Hardy Nailer.

Speak Easy, a son of Beneficial and smart mare For Bill, went off a 10/1 shot for his hurdling debut but ran out an impresive winner.

The Joseph O’Brien-trained gelding was produced to challenge at the last and went away on the run-in for a six-length win over Dis Donc.

“We thought he’d run well. Obviously he won his point-to-point and we really liked him but, to be honest, I thought he was a big horse that would be even better next year,” said O’Brien.

“His options might be limited enough. Off the top of my head I think there is a listed race in Limerick.”

A Hardy Nailer gained a deserved victory when prevailing in a terrific finish to the Dunmoe (Mares) Maiden Hurdle. Robert Tyner’s charge fought it out with Martello Park from the last and the 7/1 shot gained the day by a neck at the line.

“I probably gave him the wrong instructions the last day. Today we said we’d hold on to her a bit more,” said Tyner.

“She battled well and age and experience stood to her. We’ll see what the handicapper does and we might run her in another hurdle.”

The following John Lynch Carpets Handicap Hurdle also produced a thriller with Glenabo Bridge proving ultra-tough, under Barry Browne, to land the spoils for the Keep The Faith Syndicate.

Oliver McKiernan’s gelding led turning for home in the two-mile, six-furlong contest and survived a mistake at the last to hold Pack Your Bags by a neck.

“He’s a horse that’s after running two or three races fairly quickly and people were kind of giving out to me about running him so quickly after Thurles,” said McKiernan.

“He had a fairly hard race in Thurles, he made a couple of mistakes and it took the wind out of his sails.

“He didn’t lose weight or anything so I said ‘why shouldn’t we run him?’ When he hit the last hurdle I thought he was nearly gone but he went again. He’s tough out.”

Rule 212 breach

TRAINER Pat Coffey and jockey John Fitzpatrick have appealed significant penalties handed to them by the Navan stewards over the running and riding of The Monks Kitchen in the opening maiden hurdle.

After the 100/1 shot finished ninth behind Speak Easy, Fitzpatrick reported to the stewards that his mount “hit the last hurdle down the back, lost its action and he was always after his mount from there on.”

At the subsequent inquiry, the jockey added that his mount met with slight interference in running before finishing out the race with nothing more to offer.

Coffey told the stewards “the filly is a difficult type” but she was fit enough to run and he said he was happy with the ride in general.

However, the stewards found that the horse had not been run on its merits. Coffey was fined €2,000 (his good record in this regard taken into account) and the horse suspended from running for 42 days.

Fitzpatrick was suspended for 10 days for his performance in the saddle and ordered to forfeit his riding fee. He was given an additional five-day ban for giving misleading or false information at the enquiry.

ACTING STEWARDS

R. Dore, P. McCartan, J. Collins, L. McFerran, H. Hynes.

HORSE TO FOLLOW

MARTELLO PARK (Ms M. Mullins) She was game in defeat in the mares’ maiden hurdle and should be capable of picking up a similar contest before long.