Remarkable Flower in full bloom
John Morrison’s charge began her successful run over flights at Punchestown and then took a substantial rise up the weights for victories on the level at Wexford and Gowran Park.
She was impressive here, scoring a trifle more snugly than the final margin of a neck over Little Rort might suggest.
Timmy Houlihan eased her ahead approaching the home turn and only Little Rort was able to mount any sort of challenge in the closing stages.
Michael Grassick’s gelding did stay on to real effect, but Houlihan didn’t ask for the maximum in the closing stages.
"The ground didn’t suit, it was too dead”, reported Morrison.
"She wants good, or good to yielding, ground and we just got away with it.
"She will have a break now, the objective is the Galway Hurdle and will have one run before that.”
John Oxx’s Alliata, who jumped the road which runs across the track early in the straight, was backed from 4-6 to 1-2 and duly landed the bets with a comfortable defeat of market rival, Southern Style, in the Roscrea EBF Fillies Maiden.
Johnny Murtagh made plenty of use of the filly, having her near the front throughout and kicking for home off the last turn.
Southern Style was soon giving chase, but was always fighting a losing battle, going down by two lengths.
Said Oxx: "She had to jump the last! We’ll see what the handicapper does, but she should win again. At some stage we are going to have to look for black type for her.”
Pat Cosgrave gave Windsor Dancer, 3-1 to 2-1 favourite, a strong drive to take the ten furlongs Kilsheelan Handicap.
He powered the Ger Lyons trained mare ahead with over a furlong to go and kept her going to hold both Temptation Island and the front-running Keltech Gold.
Billy Lee, who partnered Temptation Island, was suspended for one day, having been found guilty of using his whip with excessive frequency.
The layers, who had the worst of the battle through the day, were on the wrong end again when Feichead Ghra, 5-2 to 6-4, took the Sporting Press Maiden Hurdle doing handstands.
Carrying the colours of the Naas based 15-member Valentine’s Day Syndicate, appropriate in the circumstances, Feichead Ghra cantered past Mossland going to two out.
He made a dreadful blunder at the final flight, however, but so much had he in hand that Barry Cash’s mount still crossed the line ten lengths to the good.
The bookmakers were in more trouble when heavily backed market leader Accordion Etoile, 6-4 to 11-10, made it five winning favourites in the Bumper.
Accordion Etoile and promising newcomer, Caimin’s Caper, had this between them from early in the straight, they got close together inside the furlong pole and then Paul Nolan’s four-year-old quickened away.
A stewards’ inquiry was quickly called, there was no possibility of an alteration in any case, but became irrelevant when Thomas Dreaper, who rode Caimin’s Caper, failed to weigh in.
Dreaper was suspended for two days.
Tony Martin’s Barrandee was a drifter in the market for the J Winston Building Contractors’ Handicap Chase, but didn’t know that and did the business smoothly on the track.
Give Me Style went on going out for the final time, but Timmy Murphy produced Barrandee with typical timing, pushing her ahead after the last.
Sharp Risk, trained by Ballinrobe publican Mike Flannery, stayed on dourly to win the Slievenamon Handicap hurdle.
David O’Leary sent him on the long run for home after four out and though Wilton Bridge closed from off the pace, he could never quite reel in Sharp Risk.
Wilton Bridge was lame and coughing after the race.
