Sumos’s stellar debut
The towering Sumos Novios (5/1) was left disputing the lead when Organization exited out of the race at the fourth fence and the eventual winner was tracked by Timesremembered with three obstacles remaining.
The well-supported favourite The Last Samuri was beaten in third when unseating at the second last and it was patently clear that Sumos Novios was travelling best for Colman Sweeney after this penultimate obstacle.
At the line, the triumphant half-brother to Jennie Candlish’s Grade 2 winning hurdler Cross Kennon had two lengths to spare over Gerry Cosgrave’s Co Down challenger Timesremembered with a 15-length break to the third-placed newcomer Ashford Wood.
“This is a big, long-striding horse that just burned off the opposition here. He will probably now run in a winners race to get more experience,” said Burke of Sumos Novios which sports the familiar Old Moss Farm colours of Nick Mitchell’s former Grade 1 winning chaser The Listener.
Proceedings got under way with the four-year-old maiden, the first such race of the season, and the Donnchadh Doyle-trained Padge (5/1) won this most eventful two and a half mile contest.
The favourite Very Wood touched down in front over the final of the ten obstacles, but Padge came back under a determined Andrew Latta to lead inside the dying strides to oblige by a head.
The Flemensfirth-sired Padge is now likely to be offered at the sponsors’ DBS sale after racing at Newbury on Saturday March 23rd.
Very Wood’s partner Jamie Codd consolidated his position at the head of the riders’ table by bringing Tony Martin’s Top Four (4/7) from well off the pace to collect the confined hunt farmers winners race.
Top Four, successful at Ballinaboola two weeks earlier, had all of 25 lengths to made up at the third last.
The winning son of Karinga Bay edged ever closer from two out though and he took up the running at the final fence to thwart Robert An Ri by two lengths.
