NOEL Meade and Sean Flanagan’s bandwagon rolled on to Wexford where recent Galway victor A Genie In Abottle gained a welcome listed success, the second of four winners for Gigginstown at the bank holiday fixture, in the featured M.W. Hickey Memorial Chase.

The 1/2 favourite was in front from the start, but was joined by the same owner’s top-weight Tiger Roll and Bay Of Freedom at the third from home. The six-year-old winner was being ridden along before the turn-in to the straight but got on top on the run-in and kept up the gallop to score by one and a half lengths from Tiger Roll.

Flanagan said on his return: “He’s a funny old ‘ lairy’ kind of fellow, a backward sort and we were worried there wasn’t going to be a lot of pace, similar to the last day he ran. The lads joined me at the third last and kind of shoved me along, but you can be forceful on him because he’s never going to do too much and had loads left.

“We were a bit disappointed after he got beaten (by Tiger Roll) in the four-miler at Cheltenham last season but, maybe, he doesn’t stay four miles. We couldn’t knock him yet anyway.”

Gigginstown love their chasers and have another one to look forward to in the four-year-old mare Dinaria Des Obeaux who took full advantage of her allowances in the IRIS First For Racing Footage In Ireland Beginners Chase to make a winning debut over fences for the Gordon Elliott establishment.

A Grade 3 winner over hurdles, she was given time by Jack Kennedy to find her feet and mastered her owner’s premier fancy Le Martalin, the market leader, in the closing stages for a neck win. It was then 13 lengths back to Bravissimo in third.

Kennedy remarked: “We flew and I was going as fast as I could but she stuck at it well and is very tough. She couldn’t have done any more than she did and she jumped brilliant. She has loads of scope and was very clever and she was very brave.”

The Dingle native was also buoyed by Tiger Roll’s performance in the listed race. The dual Cheltenham winner was returning from a 196-day break and Kennedy commented: “He ran a cracker and jumped and travelled great. He’ll come on a nice bit from the run.”

NO JOY

Henry de Bromhead saddled Gigginstown’s 9/2 chance High School Days to take the IRIS First For Racing Footage In Ireland Rated Novice Hurdle by a five-length margin in the hands of Chris Meehan, but there was no such joy for supporters of the favourite I Will Follow who was pulled-up with two flights remaining. The favourite never travelled, according to his rider, and was reported to be blowing hard post-race.

High School Days’ trainer acknowledged: “She was disappointing in maidens, but has done really well since she’s gone handicapping. She jumps really well and will be a lovely mare over fences.”

Joseph O’Brien supplied Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown House Stud with their final winner of the afternoon when Imperial Way obliged in the Jim Whitty Memorial (Pro/Am) Flat Race. Mad Carew was the market fancy, but he had to settle for the runner-up spot, five lengths behind the 5/4 winner who slipped through on the rail under Patrick Mullins off the last bend and had the race in the bag well over a furlong down.

“He did it well and was entitled to do it on his good runs up the country,” was the rider’s post-race assessment. “I rode him when my uncle Tom (Mullins) had him, so it’s nice to get back on him. I think he’s a horse who’ll be better when he gets a jump and runs over further.”

Stablemate Early Doors opened his hurdling account in the J.P. McManus silks at the first time of asking in the Nick O’Donnell Memorial Maiden Hurdle when getting the better of Niven by one and a half lengths. They pulled six and a half lengths clear of Spades Are Trumps in third.

The 4/6 favourite was partnered by Mark Walsh who said afterwards: “He had the best bumper form in the race and you’d be disappointed if he couldn’t do it like that. He just took it up sooner than I wanted and his jumping could improve, but you wouldn’t mind that because it’s all new to him.

“With that under his belt, you’d be hoping he’ll progress. I saw from his bumpers that all he does is gallop and he had the class to outstay them.”

CLAIMERS

Ricky Doyle is just one of a good crop of claimers around at present and Donncha Duggan’s Thurles winner Antimatter gave the 22-year-old the opening leg of his first double with further success in the Adare Manor Opportunity 80-109 Handicap Hurdle.

The 7/2 chance, owned by Ned McHugh from Shanballymore, headed Golden Poet early on the run-in and took the spoils by two and half lengths, with market leader Gracemount only third.

Duggan commented: “Stamina is his forte, but he’s not slow either and he has a high cruising speed, so I was a bit concerned about the ground today being tacky, rather than soft. I’ll probably give him a break now until after Christmas and he might mix it between hurdles and fences next year.”

Doyle followed-up with Come Home Quick’s narrow win in the Wexford Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Maiden Hurdle. It was Doyle’s seventh success of the current campaign, but the unconsidered 16/1 shot had him seeing stars beforehand when she head-butted him on the way to the start.

“She’s a bit of a handful, a bit of a madam but it was her first time wearing a hood,” was the way her trainer Mark Fahey put it after his charge had prevailed by a nose from Cousin Pascal, with the favourite Ceatharlach a short-head adrift in third.

Come Home Quick was homebred by her Rathvilly owner David Burgess and Fahey added: “She had a couple of good runs early on in maiden hurdles, but lost her way a bit. She did it well and she should stay further.”

Acting Stewards

N.P. Lambert, D.P. Hickey, J. McEnery, E. Halley, M.F. O’Donoghue.

HORSE TO FOLLOW

LE MARTALIN (N. Meade) A good novice hurdler, he was prone to mistakes over the smaller obstacles, but took to fences very well on his chasing debut. Giving 16lbs to the winner, Dinaria Des Obeaux, he can be expected to improve.