THE Ladbrokes Troytown Handicap Chase is the highlight of the season at Navan and local trainer Noel Meade bridged a 21-year gap by landing the €100,000 event with Tout Est Permis, one of seven runners in the race for Gigginstown House Stud.
The five-year-old grey gelding won twice for Mouse Morris and, after switching to Meade over the summer, was successful on his first start for the Castletown trainer at Galway in October.
The 9/1 chance followed up here making smooth headway under Sean Flanagan and asserted approaching the final fence before going on to beat Mr Diablo by four and a half lengths. Magic Of Light kept on after a bad mistake in the back straight to finish a further six and a half lengths back in third.
Meade, who last won this three-mile test with Heist back in 1997, said: “Eddie (O’Leary) said to me the other morning are you not going to run the other two in it and I said no – you can only win it once!
“I was very sweet on him and he worked a bomb the other day. I felt if we just keep him together now until Sunday he’ll win. Everything went according to plan apart from nearly getting wiped out over the far side. He travelled and jumped brilliant. It’s the biggest race here and a huge race to win. He’s a nice horse and we’ve run him twice and he’s won well both times.
“The Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown is a possibility but he’ll nearly have top-weight in that now. Sean is riding well and is a big help to me both at home and on the track. He says things as they are and is very constructive in his comments.”
SHOCK SUCCESS
Jessica Harrington dominated the remainder of the card with a 471/1 treble including Walk To Freedom who recorded a 20/1 shock in the valuable Proudstown Handicap Hurdle.
The Meade-trained De Name Escapes Me travelled like a winner for most of the two-and-three-quarter-mile trip but was outpointed in the closing stages by Robbie Power’s mount who went on to score by two and a half lengths.
“All credit to Jessie as he’s been a very difficult horse to keep sound with so many problems, and fair play to the owners (Whole of the Moone Syndicate) as their patience has been rewarded. It’s a great pot,” said Power after landing the €50,000 event.
“This horse fell with me at the first twice and went out through the rail one day at Fairyhouse when he was going to win his maiden.
“He is a horse with a lot of ability. He has the option to go back over fences or something like a Pertemps Qualifier would be right up his street.”
Power was unseated three out when Jetz made his chasing debut here a fortnight earlier but they set the record straight in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Beginners Chase.
Owned and bred by Gerry McGrath, the 4/1 chance responded gamely under pressure to head Duca De Thaix on the run-in for a hard-earned half-length success.
“They went a stronger gallop today and I was flat to the boards leaving the back straight but it’s a stiff two mile and one around here and his stamina kicked in at the end of the day. He’ll be stepping up in trip from now on,” said Power.
“He was a little bit keen all last year and we said we’d just run him over two. He’s got a high cruising speed and hopefully it’s served a purpose. He was a bit cautious with his jumping down the back but you’d forgive him that after his faux pas the last day. When I wanted him in the straight he was very good.”
The Rollx Syndicate’s Barrington Court was the easiest winner of the Harrington-trained trio in the Listed Coolmore NH Sires Irish EBF Mares Flat Race.
The well-backed 7/2 shot cruised to the front two furlongs out under Mark O’Hare and soon stretched clear to beat Two Shoe Tom by 10 lengths.
Harrington’s son-in-law Richie Galway said: “She’s very smart and was obviously unlucky not to win last year. They have always thought a lot of her, and she was very good for her first run back as all of the horses seem to be coming on for a run.
“Jessie is currently on the way back from New Zealand, and Kate is in Del Mar. It’s a good day to get three for them.”
final strides
The Harrington team were narrowly denied a four-timer in the ‘Monksfield’ Novice Hurdle where Magnium was collared in the final strides by Easy Game, trained by Willie Mullins for Nick Peacock, with the front-running Choungaya just a head back in third.
There was a sad footnote to this Grade 3 contest as Sometime Soon suffered a fatal fall three out, where joint-favourite Dinons was badly hampered, and Under Surveillance (sixth) also suffered a life-ending injury after breaking down just beyond the line.
“The luck goes with you some days and against you others. We were hoping he could run well and to pick up the pot was brilliant. He’s honest and he jumps and tries for you,” said winning rider Ruby Walsh of the 11/2 chance.
The Gigginstown colours filled the first five places (four different trainers) in the two-and-a-half-mile maiden hurdle, and it was 4/6 favourite Defi Bleu who proved the stronger on the run-in under Davy Russell to beat Momus by two and three-quarter lengths.
Winning trainer Gordon Elliott, who came up short in his bid for a fifth successive Troytown despite fielding 11 of the 25 runners, said: “He’s a horse for next year to go chasing and I’d say he probably even wants three miles at this stage of his life. The further he went the better he got, and he jumped well.”
Put The Kettle On (11/4) made all under David Mullins in the Connolly’s Red Mills Irish EBF Mares Auction Maiden Hurdle, keeping on well on run-in to beat the strong-finishing Gypsy Island by a length.
“David said he wanted to make it a bit of a test and use her jumping and it all worked well in the end,” said trainer Henry de Bromhead. “She’s only a frame of a mare and will fill out so we won’t be too hard on her.
“We might give her one more run and put her away for the spring. David won on the connections (Co. Kilkenny based One For Luck Racing Syndicate) previous mare Adreamstillalive (won four times last year), and its lovely to have him back on her.”
Warnaq, previously a three-time winner on the flat, took advantage of an attractive mark when also making all in the Davis Civil Engineering Handicap Hurdle. Andrew Lynch sent her clear before the last and the well-backed 9/4 favourite kept on nicely to beat Western Honour by two and a quarter lengths.
Matthew Smith, who trains the Arcano filly for his father Kevin, said: “She likes to get on with it on the flat so we let her gallop away out in front and her jumping was very good. During the winter on bottomless heavy ground she wasn’t just seeing it out but it worked out well today.
“She likes it here. That’s two wins here and two in Naas. She’s probably a bit better going left-handed. We were going to bring her over to Saint-Cloud for a mile listed race last week but she was a bit disappointing in her last bit of work and we decided not to go.
“I’d like to get her some blacktype at some stage.”
ACTING STEWARDS:
R. Dore, S.H. Walford,
J. Collins, C.P. Magnier,
H. Hynes.
HORSE TO FOLLOW:
GYPSY ISLAND
(P. Fahey): Ballinrobe bumper winner and caught the attention of the stewards when staying on really well from off the pace here on her hurdling debut.