Step up in trip a big help to First Impressions

VICTORY in the Tote Jackpot Maiden Hurdle at Naas yesterday, in which Ruby Walsh was lucky to walk away from a nasty fall (see page 25), went to longshot First Impressions, ridden by Tim Carroll and trained by Mick Mulvany.

Mulvany commented: “I expected more from the horse in the first (Lucky Beguine, which finished second) than this fellow. But I knew he had improved a lot from his last run.

“The step-up in trip was a big help to him. He’s nicely-related, his dam is from the family of Florida Pearl so he’s bred to be a three-mile chaser. He’ll step-up further in trip as the ground dries out and, hopefully, he’s a very nice chasing prospect.”