A FINE run of form for Mouse Morris rolled on to Navan’s feature PS Supplies Doors & Floors Flyingbolt Novice Chase (Grade 3) as Indiana Jones took his form to new heights under Darragh O’Keeffe in the colours of Robcour.

A field of five at declaration time became four on raceday when leading fancy Hollow Games was ruled out due to a temperature, leaving the Willie Mullins-trained pair of Flame Bearer and Ha D’Or at the head of the market.

However, the former bombed out with a disappointing effort as 4/6 favourite and the latter had no match for the excellent finishing kick of Indiana Jones, who proved two lengths too good and won going away at odds of 15/2.

The winner had taken nine attempts to gain his first win over fences when striking last time at Punchestown, but the confidence of a first chasing success helped the imposing seven-year-old to double up.

The Grade 3 victory continued an excellent run of form for Morris. It meant a seventh winner from just 32 runners in the space of three months.

Morris said: “He’s a huge horse. I’m not sure where he’ll go but the Grade 3 Pierce Molony Memorial Novice Chase that we won with French Dynamite last year would be an option.

“He took some very heavy falls last season and Robbie Power did a great job with him, having taken him up to his place for a while. The girls in the yard also did a lot of ground work at home with him. It’s paying off now. He comes from an unbelievable family.”

Indiana Jones is bred in the purple as a half-brother to high-class stablemate French Dynamite, four-time Grade 1 winner Mighty Potter and impressive Gowran bumper winner Brighterdaysahead.

O’Keeffe at the double

Victory in the feature capped a good afternoon’s work for O’Keeffe, who also won the opening four-year-old-only Race Displays Maiden Hurdle aboard Grappa Nonino, trained by Dermot Weld and owned by Colvin Ryan.

A 60-rated flat performer who finished in mid-division on his first two starts over hurdles, the Moyglare-bred gelding by Teofilo was well backed from 33/1 to 8/1 to provide Weld with a first National Hunt winner since Coltor won under the same rider at Downpatrick in March 2022. “He was very green and raw on his previous two starts,” said the winning rider.

“He always jumped really well but I’d say the experience he gained on his last two starts helped, and this probably wasn’t the strongest of races. He enjoyed the nicer ground here too and showed a good attitude.”

Maggie makes hay

O’Keeffe was narrowly denied a treble in the concluding NavanRacecourse.ie Mares Handicap Chase aboard Shes Some Doll, who was chinned on the line by a gutsy performance from topweight Motown Maggie, trained by Gordon Elliott and ridden by Ben Harvey.

A drop in class worked the oracle for 3/1 winner, much to the delight of ecstatic owners David Barnard, Gerry King, Nick Courtney and Cillian Moran.

“It didn’t look likely going to the last - and Ben said she actually got in under the last - but she picked up well at the back of it,” said Ian ‘Busty’ Amond, representing the winning trainer. “She’s honest and is owned by a great bunch of lads.”

TRAINER Finbarr Hand pulled off one of the biggest surprises of the season so far when debutante We Got This came home powerfully to win the Wesco Electrical Mares Maiden Hurdle at odds of 100/1.

Carrying the colours of owner-breeder Maura McGuinness, the five-year-old mare by Kalanisi managed to avoid being badly hampered by a couple of fallers at the third-last hurdle and stayed on strongly to score by half a length under 7lb claimer Paddy O’Brien.

Hand, who was recording his first winner under rules since Santorini Sun struck at the same venue in May 2021, did not view the result as a shock, despite We Got This’ huge starting price.

“It was definitely expected - I really fancied her,” said Hand.

“All her work has been really good. I’m absolutely delighted for my good friend Maura to have a lovely mare like this. She’s finished off all her work strongly. Today was over two miles but Paddy thinks she’ll be even better when stepping up in trip.

“I think she’s the real deal. We’ll look towards the Fairyhouse Easter Festival with her, maybe over two and a half miles. We might go the novice route because there’s a lot of improvement in her. I only have four horses in training, four nice horses.”

Zaltar bounces back

There was a similarly exciting conclusion to the two-and-a-half-mile Navan Racecourse Handicap Hurdle as Irish Grand National-winning jockey Paddy O’Hanlon pulled victory out of the fire on the Philip Rothwell-trained Prince Zaltar.

The Blind Squirrels Syndicate-owned six-year-old looked to have plenty on his plate when Rachael Blackmore kicked clear on Music Of Tara, but the 12/1 winner found plenty for pressure and managed to get on top in the nick of time to win by half a length.

Prince Zaltar had gone 0-9 since recording his first success at Tramore last April and Rothwell was eager to pay tribute to the syndicate’s patience shown in the intervening period.

“I thought he’d be on an upward curve after winning at Tramore but anything that could go wrong probably did go wrong,” said Rothwell.

“I thought he ran a blinder when fourth last time at Fairyhouse, where he met plenty of traffic. He was 25/1 earlier today and I told the lads that I couldn’t see him being out of the first four, so it’s been a great day.

“Ian Marmion heads up the syndicate. They’ve been hugely supportive because other people would have gotten really frustrated.”