Gagewell off to a flyer

WILLIE MULLINS landed the Grade 2 Slaney Hurdle at Naas yesterday, not with 6/4 favourite Bishopsfurze, but with front-running Gagewell Flyer, enterprisingly ridden by the trainer’s nephew Emmet.

Winner of his maiden at Navan, Gagewell Flyer (backed here from 9/1 to 6/1) dictated the pace throughout and stayed on stoutly up the hill to beat Fists Of Fury by four lengths.

An incident at the fourth last hurdle undoubtedly had a bearing on the outcome as Si C’Etait Vrai, tracking the leaders, took a crashing fall, badly hampering favourite Bishopsfurze, which had jumped badly throughout. Untidy at the hurdle himself, Paul Townend’s mount dropped out of contention quickly and trailed in a distant last of five finishers.