Earls Quarter impresses on his hurdling debut
Making his hurdling debut, Earls Quarter got the night off to the perfect start for the Mullins camp when readily breezing past Acclaimed Piper on the run-in to land the jogforjickeys.ie Maiden Hurdle comfortably by three lengths.
Winning owner Brendan Doyle said: “The form of his bumper run in Cork has worked out tremendously well and he improved for it. Paul said he jumped brilliantly, that he has a fantastic technique. He’ll go for a winners’ race on good ground but he has always been a chaser in the making.”
“He’s lazy and only did enough when he hit the front,” commented Paul Townend after Rattan gave his backers a few anxious moments before justifying 30/100 favouritism in the Martin Reilly BMW Dealer Novice Hurdle.
Townend settled the Royal Anthem gelding at the back of the four-runner field, improved to track Heavenly Bound into the straight and looked set to sweep past his rival when challenging at the final flight.
But Townend had to get to work and a half-length separated the pair at the line, Tom O’Mahony, representing winning owner John Coleman, stated: “He did what he was entitled to do on ratings. But he’s lazy and just does enough.”
After guiding Pickapocketortwo to a length and a half win over Share Wood and Hollyville, Patrick Mullins explained: “It’s was a big step-up in trip for him and I’d say three miles is as far as he wants to go.
“He’s a first winner over jumps for the YITBA and, although he’ll probably go for a winners of one, I expect him to go chasing later this season.”
A Mullins four-timer looked on the cards when Patrick produced 9/10 favourite Local Celebrity to tackle front-running Madam Bovary (Jamie Codd) inside the final furlong of the bumper.
But, having put his nose in front briefly, the favourite could not match Madam Bovary in the last fifty yards and went down by a neck, to the delight of winning trainer Willie Codd, from Rosslare, County Wexford.
Codd commented: “My horses haven’t been right since Listowel in early June, but they’re beginning to come back and this is a big boost.
“She’s a very well-bred mare, the first horse I’ve trained for Dermot Cox. She won her point-to-point but jumped hurdles very slowly in Wexford and was then unlucky in a bumper there. She’s not really a bumper mare, but we decided to try one more. She put her head down and battled.
“She’s a big mare and will have a long break now and won’t come back into training until the spring.”
Resolute Bay, well-ridden by Robert Jones, captured the featured Guinness Sligo Handicap Hurdle for Gigginstown House Stud and Philip Fenton.
The Presenting gelding got the better of Jacks Island by a length and a quarter, with Fearnwood Girl a close third.
