Debut victory for Rye Martini

The Colm Murphy-trained Rye Martini continued the impressive early season form being enjoyed by Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown House Stud when making a successful racecourse debut in the opening maiden hurdle on yesterday’s truncated card at Tipperary.

On a day when the chase course was found to be unfit for racing, causing the cancellation of the two chases on the card, Davy Russell had the Catcher In The Rye gelding close to the pace throughout before staying on stoutly to beat Reafadda by almost three lengths in the Follow Tipperary Races On Facebook Maiden Hurdle.

Colm Murphy said of the five-year-old, bought at Brightwells Sale in Cheltenham last April: “He won his point-to-point for Kieran Puicell and had a few niggly problems along the way. He’s built to be a chaser. And I have no immediate plans for him - I’ll have to speak to his owners.”