THE Irish Cesarewitch winner Cape Gentleman brought a touch of class to this fixture as he made an impressive start to his jumping career in the two-and-a-half-mile four-year-old maiden hurdle.

Just under two months after landing that Curragh event, the Margaret O’Rourke-owned gelding was produced in fine fettle by Emmet Mullins and there was much to like about this effort.

He cruised through the race for Brian Hayes and quickly shrugged aside a mistake at the fourth last before improving to lead before the turn-in.

At this stage the 5/4 favourite was still going very easily and while Petibonome and Homme D’un Soir tried to make a race of it, they could never get the winner off the bridle. He coasted home by two lengths and looks well-equipped for a rise in class.

“Brian was over the moon with him and was very excited by him. We’ll have a look at the programme book now and hopefully he’ll be a horse to look forward to for the spring festivals,” commented Mullins.

Second win

The capable Razzle Dazzle Love notched up her second win of the season as she ran her rivals ragged to come home some 23 lengths clear in the Irish Racing Industry Fundraiser For Children’s Health Foundation Crumlin In Memory Of Pat Smullen Maiden Hurdle.

Tom Gibney’s charge set off in front in a race where only five horses counted from early on, and when she cleared away from Pure Genius after two out she had this race in safe keeping. A good jump at the last enabled Darragh O’Keeffe’s mount to finish a long way ahead of the toiling favourite, Hamundarson. The Albert Allen-owned mare was adding to a Galway bumper victory back in September.

The card concluded with a winner for Willie Mullins as Eurotiep (5/2) returned from 14 months off to land the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Auction Flat Race under Aubrey McMahon.

The Down The Hatch Syndicate-owned son of Lauro, who had filled the runner-up spot on his two previous outings, made all the running and kept on gamely in the straight to repel Pale Blue Dot by a length and a quarter.

HENRY de Bromhead and Rachael Blackmore enjoyed a double which was completed by a promising type in Eklat De Rire in the beginners’ chase over an extended three miles.

On just his third racecourse outing and his first since winning a Thurles maiden hurdle in March, the Peter Davies-owned son of Saddex relished the demands posed by this discipline and turned in some fine jumps over the course of the race.

The 2/1 favourite always seemed to be holding the 134-rated School Boy Hours from the turn-in and he went on defeat that opponent by three and a half lengths.

“He seemed to really enjoy himself and he jumped well and I thought he was really good at the third and fourth last,” stated de Bromhead.

“He’s in the Grade 1 at Leopardstown over Christmas and there is the Grade 1 at Kempton as well – his owner is based in England – but they might come a bit soon and maybe the three-mile novice at Naas in January might be a better option.”

The first leg of the brace came courtesy of Gabbys Cross (15/2) in the rated novice hurdle over two and a half miles. This race was restricted to horses rated 125 or less and drew together quite a competitive field, and the winner was stepping up considerably on the form of his Tramore maiden triumph just under two months ago.

The Roger Brookhouse-owned gelding got the better of Gevrey after the last and then just held off the late surge of the gambled-on favourite Debuchet by a short head.

“He was just a bit weak last year but he’s improving and he might go to Leopardstown over Christmas for a novice handicap hurdle over two and a half miles,” reported the trainer.

THERE was a fine performance on show in the three-mile handicap hurdle where Unexpected Depth (12/1) defied top-weight, an absence of 431 days and a 19lb-higher mark than when last successful to give Oliver McKiernan his first winner of the season.

The still unexposed six-year-old, who was crediting amateur James Reilly with his second winner, finished well from the turn-in to record a two-and-a-half-length triumph over Se Mo Laoch. He can have a say in a major staying handicap before the end of the season. “I wouldn’t say we were expecting it but we knew he’d stay three miles. I wasn’t sure how ready he was or if he would handle the ground as he has done his winning on better ground. Now that we know he handles this ground he could go somewhere over Christmas,” the trainer said.

After having to settle for second with Se Mo Laoch trainer Brian McMahon and Philip Enright enjoyed better luck as Hoke Colburn (7/1) outpointed the McKiernan-trained Chief Of Police in the handicap chase over an extended two and a half miles.

Plenty of horses were in with chances turning in, but Enright always looked content that his mount had things in control and Hoke Colburn stayed on well from the last to defeat Chief Of Police by two and a half lengths. “His owners, the On The Green Syndicate, are a fierce enthusiastic bunch and they are only back golfing this week so to top it off with a winner is great. He’s been a bit unlucky before now and his forte is his jumping,” McMahon said.