Rock suited by switch to pointing

THE John Halley-trained Perce Rock, a former 140-rated chaser when under the care of Tommy Stack, showed that he’s ideally suited by the switch to the point-to-point sphere by making a winning hunt racing debut in the open at the South Union Foxhounds meeting at Farrangalway outside Kinsale yesterday.

Perce Rock (7/2), who recorded the final of his eight track successes for former owner JP McManus in the 2009 renewal of the Dan Moore Memorial Chase at Fairyhouse, took up the running with Halley’s 20-year-old son, Josh, at the second fence. Runner-up Annacarton closed from the penultimate of the 15 obstacles but Perce Rock overcame a final fence error to dismiss Derek O’Connor’s mount by two lengths with the pair being the only finishers.

Owner/trainer Halley said: “I have this horse since the summer, but he wasn’t fully wound up here. He’s a grand fun horse and we’ll see where we go from here.”