Quinn makes mark at Plumpton
He returned home to Kilkenny last night with praise ringing in his ears and the prospect of a ride at the Cheltenham Festival after delivering River Bug to the afternoon's easiest victory.
The 6ft 1in 20-year-old had ridden only three point-to-point winners before taking the mount on the mercurial River Bug in the amateur riders' handicap chase but there were no signs that here was a raw recruit.
Shadowing the pace set by Drum Battle, the mount of Christian Williams, the leading rider in hunter chases in Britain last year, the lanky Quinn let his mount ease into the lead with just under a circuit to run, and came home to win by 20 lengths.
"He didn't look bad for his first ride in this country did he," Jamie Poulton, the trainer of River Bug, enthused. Poulton had already been convinced of Quinn's prowess by the rider's brother John, the Curragh trainer, who had been instrumental in the sale of River Bug after three runs in hunter chases three years ago for Diane Coleman, of Donadea, Co Kildare.
"I had some good offers to ride this, Alan O'Keefe and David Dunsdon, real good riders, but I was told to have this fella. You've got to give him10 out of 10 for that," Poulton added.
Quinn is hoping that yesterday's win will provide a springboard to his ambitions on both sides of the Irish Sea.
"I hope to be over here again. Hopefully I'll get some chances out of this, it's a good advertisement, and hopefully I'll get some chances back in Ireland now as well," he said.
Opportunity may come at Cheltenham next month as Quinn has been promised the mount on River Bug in the four-mile National Hunt Handicap Chase. John Quinn had pulled up the horse in the corresponding race last year when it was confined to novices.
At the other end of the success spectrum, Norman Williamson rode a 13-1 treble at Plumpton to take his British score to the season to 16. His win on Indalo for his former boss Venetia Williams marked his first success over fences of the British campaign. His other victories, on Gin Palace and Guru, where part of 251-1 treble for trainer Gary Moore, who also triumphed with Mixed Marriage to provide his first wins over jumps since mid-December.
Ruby Walsh had a frustrating afternoon, as his one booked ride, Paul Nicholls's Indien Royal, was withdrawn from the concluding novice hurdle on account of the ground. Martin Pipe then placed him on standby for the odds-on Iberus in case Tony McCoy failed to arrive in time for what was his only mount of the day. McCoy's journey proved fruitless as Iberus finished an unwilling third to Mixed Marriage.
