JACK Kennedy moved further clear in the Jockeys’ Championship at Thurles on Thursday where the Gold Cup winner partnered a treble in the opening three races for trainer Gordon Elliott. The pair began by winning with The Goffer (11/2 for owner Allan Snow) in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Beginners Chase as the son of Yeats benefited from a recent chase debut run, when beating Churchstone Warrior, which made some jumping errors before finishing well, by two and a quarter lengths.

Elliott said: “He liked the better ground and jumped a lot better there today. He had a good run when he won a Grade 3 hurdle here last March. We’ll try and find a little winners’ race somewhere now and he is qualified for a handicap mark now so we’ll see where we go.”

Half an hour later Elliott and Kennedy doubled up with Arctic Ambition in the Racing Again Next Thursday Handicap Chase as the 6/4 favourite scored readily by three lengths from Beating The Odds. It was the seven-year-old’s second run for Elliott and afterwards the trainer said: “He looked well handicapped, the boys (Go Go Go Partnership) picked him out and he is something to look forward to. We’ll have a bit of fun under both codes (chase and hurdle) with him.”

Hard-fought

Kennedy moved to 61 winners for the season, 24 clear of nearest pursuer Danny Mullins, in completing his treble, as he steered Elliott’s Favori De Champdou (11/10 favourite, for Gigginstown House Stud) to a hard-fought win over Harry Des Ongrais. Both horses raced clear in the final half-mile. While Favori De Champdou was strongly pressed by the runner-up at the second last, found more on the run-in to win by three and a quarter lengths.

Elliott later stated: “He is going the right way and I thought it was a good performance. He had a leg injury but is very tough and that is what he was bought to do, so it is great. I have a few ideas in my head and he could run in a handicap hurdle at Navan. He stays very well, you’d like the way he does it and while he doesn’t show much at home, he keeps improving.”

On the mark

Elliott’s great rival champion trainer Willie Mullins was on the mark in the concluding Start Christmas Here (QR) Maiden Hurdle with last season’s Triumph Hurdle-fifth placed Il Etait Temps (1/7f, for the Hollywood Syndicate Partnership). Ridden by Patrick Mullins, the grey made two early jumping mistakes but won easily from Helisone with the winning jockey saying: “He was entitled to do that but I managed to get one beaten at 1/10 in one of these races before!

“He was very relaxed out in front and wasn’t really concentrating when he made the mistake at the first but we were racing down to the last and winged that one. He is much more mature and relaxed this year and I think he’ll jump better when he is amongst horses.

“Last year he looked like a solid Grade 2 horse so I’d like to think he could turn into a Supreme or Ballymore Novices Hurdle horse - that’s the dream anyway. Usually juveniles can step out in distance and once he settles, I think he can go out in trip.”

WIDEST-margin winner of the day was 25-lengths victor Sainte Donna in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF (Mares) Maiden Hurdle, as the Tom Cooper-trained front-runner routed her rivals to score under his son Bryan Cooper and owner Whitechurch Stud.

Quickly away, the daughter of Saint Des Saints had a clear lead throughout and maintained her gallop to beat Glorious Singer. Cooper senior later reported: “The plan was to jump out and make it. She might have got a bit of a freebie but still she kept going and won by 25 lengths.

“We knew the step up in trip was a big thing to her and she is a real staying mare, by a great sire. She is crying out for a fence and would definitely get blacktype over fences but whether or not she’ll get it over hurdles I don’t know.

“There aren’t a lot of staying races for novice mares for her but we could see what handicap mark she gets as that could be another option. I actually got a present of her from Andrew Brooks who had plenty horses in pre-training with me but was pulling the plug and left me the mare.”

L’OR Des Roses (9/2) completed consecutive wins for three generations of the Co Dublin-based Harvey family as the grey gelding landed the ThurlesRaces.ie Handicap Hurdle, beating Gali Flight.

Owned by grandfather William Harvey and trained by his son David Harvey L’or Des Roses followed up a recent Cork success under the trainer’s jockey Ben Harvey, who later said: “It is great to see him back up the Cork win. We took our time with him and waited for better ground and you’re nearly guaranteed it here.

“We haven’t tried him on soft ground but he’s not over big and moves well on good ground. Hopefully there will be more days to come with him, he has point to point form so we might go chasing after Christmas.”

Boghlone Honey was the eased-down 14 lengths winner of the Holycross Handicap Hurdle, scoring for trainer Liam Cusack and jockey Richie Deegan, but returned with a cut. The Jeremy-mare was following up a win at Sligo in October and afterwards Cusack reported: “She has a little nick on her tendon now which I’m worried about to be honest and we mightn’t see her for a while unfortunately.