Leah Claire belatedly opens her account over hurdles
Trainer Matthieu Paulssiere paid tribute to the “lovely ride” given to Frank McNulty’s mare by 7lb. claimer Ben Dalton, a native of nearby New Ross, en route to a three lengths win, Palussiere declaring: “She deserved it - she never lets me down. Ben kicked at the right time and her jumping helped. We will try to win one of the bigger handicaps during the winter, maybe at Christmas or early in the New Year.”
Ceol Rua’s rider Emmet Mullins, also out of luck on that mare’s stable-companion Sin Palo in the opener, still took the riding honours, completing a fine double on the Noel Meade-trained Tackmaster and Baby Whizz, trained by his uncle Tom Mullins.
Former point-to-pointer Tackmaster, having his first run under rules, travelled strongly throughout the Mount Leinster Maiden Hurdlle, with Mullins apparently oozing confidence.
In third place and tracking the leaders going to the last, the Gigginstown-owned gelding challenged on the inside after the last and, under hands and heels riding, stayed on strongly to beat Tabhactach convincingly, prompting Ben Meade, brother of the trainer to comment: “He’s a nice horse and Emmet was very happy with him. Hopefully, it’s a case of onwards and upwards.”
On a day when J P McManus enjoyed a treble at Navan, his Baby Whizz provided Mullins with the second leg of his double, outpointing Owennacurra Milan. Winning trainer Tom Mullins said: “The handicapper crippled him for being placed in Cork and winning in Ballinrobe. But the horse has grown up a lot, in mind and physically.”
