Warrior makes impressive debut

Jamie Codd was the in-form rider at yesterday’s Westmeath Foxhounds meeting at Castletown-Geoghegan in Co Westmeath with a double.

He opened his account aboard Liam Kenny’s well-touted newcomer Rapid Warrior in the five and six-year-old geldings’ maiden.

The five-year-old Rapid Warrior (6/4 – 4/6), a son of Presenting that’s owned by Tom Redmond, made smooth headway from three out to lead after the penultimate of the 15 obstacles and was well on top at the final fence. Rapid Warrior drew clear in the closing stages to dismiss the vastly more-experienced Im Cool Too by three lengths in the style of a horse that we will be hearing a lot more about.

On an afternoon that witnessed extremely testing underfoot conditions, Codd signed off aboard D I Y Lawyer (2/1) in the closing seven-year-old and upwards maiden. D I Y Lawyer, a dual runner-up last season, eased into the lead after two out and the winning son of Exit To Nowhere duly survived a final fence blunder to beat Clear Blue Sky by six lengths in the colours of his local Mullingar-based owner/trainer Cecil Ross.

Bunclody-based handler Estelle Kavanagh was on the mark with last season’s Dungarvan maiden scorer Nothin To Say in the winners of two. The winner was well supported from 6/1 into 3/1.