Fahy delighted by Morning effort

Pat Fahy believes there is more to come from Morning Assembly despite his exciting novice chaser being beaten for the first time over fences at Leopardstown on Sunday.

The County Carlow trainer was delighted with the six-year-old, who put up a solid performance in going down by just a length and a half to Galway Plate winner Carlingford Lough.

Fahy thinks Morning Assembly can turn the tables should they meet again and the Cheltenham Festival remains the main objective.

“I was absolutely thrilled with his run. He beat all the novices and beat them soundly, but he was beaten by what we call a county-standard player (Carlingford Lough) and we are a novice,” he said.

“They get the better of them once, but the young player will always get the better of him later on, I hope.

“His owner is on holiday at the moment. When he comes back we’ll decide on the route we’re going to take. We have a plan made and we’ll probably stick to it, but we’ll discuss it again first.

“There’s no doubt Cheltenham is on the agenda. Obviously there’s the RSA Chase, but we’ll enter him up well. He needs to get his eye in, and we’ll make our decision closer to the time.”