Crowning glory for O’Leary
With suitable opportunities thin on the ground back home for the gelding, Big King was brought across the Irish Sea in search of decent conditions.
And although the 3-1 favourite paid little respect to the testing fences at Newbury, making several mistakes on his way round, he was always going powerfully and won easing up by three lengths from Torche.
“Tony said that this wasn’t a great race but that he ought to pay his way at this level,” said O’Leary.
“We haven’t got any handicaps for novice chasers yet in Ireland so if you win your beginners’ race, you have to start taking on Cheltenham horses and he’s not in that class.”
The Edward Hales-trained Inaro (10-1) made it two out of two for the Irish raiders when he took the concluding EBF/Lane Fox “Junior” Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race.
Meawnwhile, trainers Paul Nolan and Steve Mahon shared the honours with doubles at Fairyhouse yesterday.
The victories of Mrs.Wallensky and Run Katie Chimes gave Nolan a timely boost four days ahead of Accordion Etoile’s challenge for the valuable Greatwell Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham on Sunday.
Nolan hailed Mrs.Wallensky’s win over 117-rated Raikkonen in the Colver Hill Hurdle, “She was due that and deserved it. She’s like softer ground. Staying is her game and she’ll make a nice chaser and a nice broodmare in time.”
John Cullen let Mrs.Wallensky stride on into the lead from an early stage and the daughter of Roselier stayed on strongly to keep Raikkonen at bay over the last two hurdles.
The Nolan/Cullen combination followed-up when recent acquisition Run Katie Chimes came through late to outpoint the flattering Thatsharib in the Culmullin Handicap Hurdle.
Steve Mahon is enjoying a purple patch with his string and notched his second double in six days thanks to the exploits of Border Quaich and Karaghan.
“I’m very disappointed that he jumped so badly,” declared Mahon in the winner’s enclosure after Border Quaich made most of the running to land the second division of the Herbertstown Maiden Hurdle. “I told Joe (Joey Elliot) that if there was no gallop to make the running. He’s a real stayer and, if he’s on the bridle, they’re not going fast enough for him.”
Later, Mahon introduced an impressive debutant Karaghan to justify strong market support in the four-year-old bumper, the Darshaan gelding extending jockey Keith Bowens’ tremendous strike-rate.
In the second bumper, The Spoonplayer, runner-up in the Land-Rover Bumper last April, produced an impressive display, quickening clear in the last quarter-mile to slam The Tinker Murray by seven lengths.
Talented claimer Bobby Molloy was on the mark again when the Robbie Burns-trained Ennistown Lady proved a convincing winner of the Rathbeggan Handicap Hurdle.
