Hughies Grey does the business
The tough Mervyn Torrens-trained seven-year-old, having only his sixth run over the larger obstacles, was sent into the lead by Darcy at the fourth and, having jumped soundly, he powered up the Downpatrick hill to beat Posh Bird by four lengths with Selection Box filling third spot and last year’s runner-up Bally Wall fourth.
A delighted Torrens explained: “He’s a tough horse and was always going to be a chaser. He’s a great jumper and didn’t touch a twig out there.”
“He’d gallop all day. And the plan was to be close to the pace all the way. He won well and probably deserves a crack at the Irish National after this.
“The original plan was to go for the ‘Thyestes’, but he didn’t get in. So this was the next obvious target. And, because he jumps and stays so well, I think he’ll develop into an Aintree Grand National horse one day.”
Trainer Gordon Elliott celebrated his 33rd birthday with a double, thanks to the victories of Brave Beauty and Nutin Fancy, the latter completing a memorable double for amateur Chris Cully in the bumper.
Disappointing since winning a Punchestown bumper back in October, Brave Beauty was given a typically confident ride by Paul Carberry to floor Davy Russell-ridden Belle Brook in the Audrey Woods Memorial Mares Novice Hurdle.
Elliott described the winner as “a bit of a madame” before suggesting, “She’s been disappointing. But the drier ground probably helped her. She’ll probably be hard to place, so we’ll probably head to England with her in a few weeks.”
The Elliott double was completed when Nutin Fancy, winner of her only point-to-point, made a successful racecourse debut in the Crossgar Flat Race, providing Cully with the second leg of a double, made sweeter by the fact that the Oscar gelding is owned by his father Tom.
Nutin Fancy stayed on bravely through the final furlong to beat Baileys Ruffit, with gambled-on favourite and longtime leader Noble Steel, bred and owned by golfer Christy O’Connor Jnr, fading to finish third.
Elliott commented: “It was probably a weak race. But it’s great to win a bumper with this fellow, because he’s really a two-and-a-half mile or three-mile chaser. Not a bad birthday present!”
Cully had initiated his double in the Taste Of Ulster Hunters Chase when Kanesh, headed briefly at the second last by runner-up Island Peak, battled tenaciously to triumph for trainer Mark Fagan.
Kanesh, a three-time winner in the point-to-point arena, was building on his recent second to Gordon Elliott’s Aintree-bound Backstage in a point-to-point in Kirkistown.
The other events produced shocks, the 31-race maiden Garamor Boy making all to prove a 20/1 winner of the opening Martinstown Opportunity Maiden Hurdle while the Jim Dreaper-trained Eddie Zero swooped late to foil Lookoutnow and Akadyr in the Peter Meegan Memorial Handicap Hurdle.
Garamor Boy, which is trained by Oliver Brady, provided Tipperary-born Martin Burke with his third win since turning professional.
But there was a ‘sting-in-the-tail’ for Burke, when, along with colleagues Tom Carroll (rider of runner-up Kid Curry) and Declan Bates (rode fourth-placed Mayo Mystique), he was found guilty of disobeying the starter’s instructions.
Burke and Bates were each banned for two days while Carroll was suspended for three.
