Drive Time makes all for game success
The old adage has it that you should always back the outsider of three and it ran true again, with victory going to the Jim Bolger-trained Drive Time.
Owned by Bolger’s wife, Jackie, and former Tyrone footballer, Peter Canavan, Drive Time made all the running.
He was hard driven a far way from home by Kevin Manning, but kept responding and was well on top in the final furlong.
Bolger was represented by his assistant, Ger Flynn, who was quickly onto the trainer by phone.
Reported Flynn: “Jim says he’s on the market and will win the two mile Champion Chase! He is likely to go for a handicap at Galway.”
There was a real smell of burning rubber, following the defeat of Francisco Goya in the Lixnaw Fabrications Structural Steel Contractors Handicap.
Aidan O’Brien’s colt was taken as high as 11-8 in the morning and hammered on track all the way down to 4-9.
But he began to struggle early in the straight and could not go by front-running Greannmhar or resist the late surge of eventual winner, Casual.
It was no great surprise when the stewards interviewed Joseph O’Brien, regarding his use of the whip on Francisco Goya.
They decided the youngster had utilised the implement with excessive force and frequency and, taking his recent record into account, suspended him for two days.
Fran Berry, fresh from a double here on Monday, was on the mark again with another excellent display aboard Halaziya in the Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Fillies Maiden.
The daughter of Danehill Dancer was backed from 9-2 to 11-4 and stayed on really well for Berry driving to beat Karma Lina by half a length.
Berry has now moved to 37 winners for the campaign, two adrift of the co-leaders, Pat Smullen, Johnny Murtagh and Kevin Manning.
Michael Hourigan, absent at the sales at Ascot, missed seeing his Meet The Parents cruise to success in the McSweeney Arms Hotel Handicap Chase.
Niall Madden arrived with a double handful in the straight and it really was only a case of when he pressed the button.
Meet The Parents was in front going to the last and, though somewhat awkward at the obstacle, still scored with a lot in hand.
The layers got a screamer in the Malton Winners’ Enclosure Novice Chase, victory going to Val O’Brien’s 25-1 shot, Barna Bay.
Given a very strong drive by John Cullen, Barna Bay battled strongly from the final fence to hold the flattering Toby Jug. The ten-year-old paid 49-1 on the Tote.
Separate Ways, having a first outing for David Marnane, ran away with the Robin Parke Memorial Handicap.
Revelling in the testing ground and in front two furlongs down, Separate Ways eased clear in the hands of Declan McDonogh.
In the concluding rather moderate www.punchestown.com Handicap Hurdle, Mark Walsh was able to sit motionless all the way up the straight, as he guided Sharadai to an easy win over Capall Eile.
