MEMORIES of two outstanding Gold Cup winners were rekindled at last Sunday’s Limerick fixture where the mighty Kauto Star and top-grade War Of Attrition’s brothers were among the winners. Kauto Star’s exciting half-brother Kauto Grand Mogol opened his account over timber with an impressive eight-length success under Brian O’Connell in the www.limerickraces.ie Maiden Hurdle. Liz Doyle’s six-year-old, jointly owned by John Delamere, David McCorkell and Hal Caherwood, had the race in safe keeping from before two out to justify his position at the head of the market from Wexford Bridge.

The favourite Uranna was being ridden along early in the straight and finished a head adrift in third. Doyle said of her French-bred 11/8 scorer: “He’s always schooled exceptionally well, even as a three-year-old but I was just worried about the track and having to give Willie’s horse 15lb.

“He’s not bred to run in bumpers but had a small setback and we took a chance coming here, rather than running yesterday because it looked an easier option. His jumping was so slick today and he showed a good turn of foot to kick again.

“He’s just a smaller version of Kauto Star but jumps so well I think he’ll manage fences. We’ll probably keep him to two and a half miles for now and step him up to graded company next time.”

Then it was the turn of War Of Attrition’s full-brother Pencilhimin to be in the spotlight, following his narrow victory for Celbridge handler Norman Cassidy in the Follow Limerick Racecourse On Facebook Handicap Hurdle. Racing in the colours of the trainer’s late mother Carmel, which have been passed on to his niece Juliana, the 8/1 shot has a long way to go before being talked about in the same breath as the Gold Cup hero but got his foot on the bottom rung of the ladder here.

Showing great resolution for rider Danny Benson, the strapping nine-year-old came out best in a tussle from the final flight to wrest the verdict by a short head from Snapchat.

Pencilhimin, the only horse Cassidy currently has in training, has had his share of problems over the years and had a good blow afterwards. “I have him a year now after the previous owners pulled out,” the trainer explained. “And he’s rated 102 over fences so he might go for a chase now.”

WYLIE’S RUNNER

Trainer Willie Mullins found a good opportunity for Andrea and Graham Wylies’ 2/7 favourite Lucky Bridle to add to his tally in the Christmas Racing Festival 26th-29th December Hurdle. The odds-on favourite, who has been running with credit on the flat in between time, had matters all his own way on his return to jumps for the first time since April to run out the unchallenged 12-length winner from his stable-companion Shamar.

Paul Townend had the leg up on the five-year-old son of Dylan Thomas and said afterwards: “It was pretty straightforward and he did it well. The ground (officially yielding) is still pretty lively and I think he enjoyed it. He jumped well.’’

Lucky Bridle is among the entries for Cheltenham’s Greatwood Hurdle.

Simple Joys sprang a 25/1 surprise (€37 on the Tote) for the Sneezy Foster yard when coming from a long way back to take the Limerick Racecourse E19 Munster Madness 80-95 Handicap Hurdle by half a length under Brian Cawley.

The four-year-old is owned by London-based Richard Wilmot-Smith, who is currently in Hong Kong and met the trainer at a wedding. Foster said: “That was a surprise. There’s no doubt about it but she has been tricky and is a hormonal mare – you don’t know what you’re going to get on the day!

“She was with Andrew Balding but didn’t handle the stalls and I have to thank Robert Power because he got her jumping, over cross-country fences and everything. She was going to go to the stallion in the New Year but now that she has a win under her belt she might not and Brian gave her a good ride.”

BOTH CODES

Luke Dempsey, who intends mixing it under both codes, clocked up his fifth win over hurdles and his 20th in all when guiding the Philip Fenton-trained Ange D’Or Javilex to a five-length success in the Martinstown Opportunity Maiden Hurdle.

Tom Coleman from Bruff owns the 2/1 favourite who was on the heels of the leaders throughout and took it up before the second last, drifting out to his left on the approach to the final flight and hampering the runner-up Nimdani in the process. The stewards held an inquiry into the incident but took no further action.

Fenton remarked: “He jumped very well and I think it’s a good performance for any horse to win first time over hurdles. We fancied him in his three bumpers but he came unstuck on each occasion and that might be his job.”

Only three horses counted jumping the second last in the Racing Again On The 26th December 80-102 Handicap Hurdle but the George Webb-trained Daigreen, with Jody McGarvey in the saddle, refused to yield and held off the challenge of Pleased As Punch and market leader Chakisto by the combined margin of four and a half lengths.

With Webb leading his 4/1 winner away to the veterinary surgeon’s box it was left to Daigreen’s Nenagh-based owner Mortimer Gleeson to comment: “He’s done a great job for us, winning three races but we thought the ground might catch him out. We’ll nearly have to give him a break now. We hope to go over fences with him next year.”

Side Saddle and Table Tips were the main talking horses for the Glenview & Rathbarry Stud Mares Ladies Flat Race but, at the business end they proved no match for John Ryan’s 20/1 longshot Presenting Mahler who out-pointed the two joint favourites by half a length and the same in the hands of the trainer’s daughter Gillian, a chemical engineer by profession who rides out for her father at the weekends.

Owned by Paddy McKeon from Naas, the four-year-old winner was making it third time lucky in bumpers after running twice over hurdles and her pilot, who was registering her fifth winner, commented: “She’s a very smart filly and hopefully she can build on that.”