THE race of the day saw the promising The Bosses Oscar make a winning reappearance, but the finish to the He’llberemembered Hurdle provided plenty of food for thought and the winner could be counted fortunate to have survived a stewards’ enquiry.
On his first outing since his eye-catching fifth in the Martin Pipe at Cheltenham, the Noel and Valerie Moran-owned The Bosses Oscar (5/2) produced a taking effort over the course of this extended two-and-three-quarter-mile affair. Gordon Elliott’s charge jumped well and travelled nicely and moved on from the favourite Robin Des Foret to take charge of the race coming away from the second last.
The Bosses Oscar was still a couple of lengths in front for Gavin Brouder jumping the last but at this stage the 66/1 outsider Rightplacerightime was finishing with quite a flourish.
Just over 100 yards from the line, The Bosses Oscar veered badly left under a right-handed drive and broadsided his rival which put an end to that horse’s charge. The winner did finish out nicely to reach the line with two and a quarter lengths to spare but an enquiry of some length followed before the result was allowed to stand. Interestingly, Brouder escaped sanction as the stewards deemed the interference to be accidental.
“That was a nice comeback race for him. He’s a young horse so we decided he might be suited by staying hurdling for another season,” reported Elliott. “We’ll be looking at some of the better staying handicap hurdles throughout the season for him.”
Impressive debut
The trainer then added to his haul when Indigo Breeze made an impressive winning debut in the bumper which was won by The Bosses Oscar 12 months ago. This winning English pointer, who is a Martaline half-brother to Brindisi Breeze, justified 4/7 favouritism in style under Jamie Codd. The first reserve quickly stamped his authority on this race off the last bend and ran out a stylish seven-and-a-half-length winner.
“He’d been showing us plenty at home and I was hoping he might do something like that. He’s a very nice horse and he’s got the pedigree too, he could be exciting,” declared Elliott who trains this four-year-old for Gearoid Costelloe.
AS he has done on countless occasions in the past, Willie Mullins produced one of his inmates in peak form off a long absence as Sapphire Lady came back from 548 days away from the track to land the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Beginners Chase.
A 128-rated hurdler when she was last in action, this Anthony Butler-owned mare took very well to chasing. She raced on the pace throughout for Paul Townend and asserted in impressive fashion to hand out a nine-length beating to the favourite and four-year-old Gin On Lime who was in receipt of 10lb from the winner.
“She’s been a natural since the first day she schooled over fences and chasing might have brought some improvement in her,” reflected Townend.
Good shape
Also returning in good shape from a break was Padraig Roche’s Steer Clear (12/1) who produced a bold effort from the front under Aidan Kelly in the two-and-a-quarter-mile handicap chase.
This J.P. McManus-owned gelding wasn’t in the best of form on his last two outings but returned in excellent heart after 231 days off to record the first success of his career. In the straight he was strongly pressed by Ciankyle and then Whatsinthecorner but he kept pulling out more to see off the last-named by a couple of lengths.
The manner of this win suggested that this gelding might win again over the coming weeks.
“He got a great ride from Aidan and I must thank Frank (Berry) and J.P. for putting up Aidan,” declared Roche. “I’d say the nicer ground was a help to him and probably the summer off did him good too. He jumps and stays.”
CARRIGTWOHILL-based trainer Noel O’Neill, who is a full-time farrier as well as keeping three horses under his care, sent out his first winner since April 2018 as Ava Rose (14/1) and Philip Enright somehow pulled victory out of the fire in the two-mile mares’ maiden hurdle. The Helen O’Brien-owned five-year-old looked to be well held in fourth after two out and at this stage Botani looked to have the race sewn up.
The latter cleared the final flight in good style as she looked to put the seal on a decent performance, but Ava Rose had other ideas and finished with a whirlwind charge to nail Botani in the last stride. This was a career-best effort from the winner although she posted an encouraging effort when third to One Down in a Gowran Park maiden hurdle earlier in the month.
The following 80-95 rated two-mile handicap hurdle also went to a late challenger in Shane Duffy’s Molly Kaye (4/1). In the straight, the front-running 66/1 shot Island Mahee fought off the challenge of Fair Minded, but Rachael Blackmore had timed her effort to perfection on the Gary Fleming-owned winner who picked off the leader as the line loomed. The daughter Multiplex was adding to two wins on the flat last summer.
Another winning mare came in the shape of Dermot McLoughlin’s Trickey Trix (8/1) who made all the running in the 80-102 rated mares’ handicap hurdle over two and three quarter miles.
Determined mare
The Danny Hand-ridden daughter of Mahler was briefly joined after three out but she quickly moved on again and finished out her race determinedly to carry the day by four lengths. Trickey Trix is owned by Patrick Macken.
Mikey Fogarty, who rode the third-placed Flamin Aimee, picked up a six-day whip ban for his efforts.