Limerick Lace delivers at Down Royal
DRAWING CLEAR: Limerick Lace and Luke Dempsey en route to victory in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Rated Novice Chase in Down Royal. Picture: Healy Racing
Having her third start over fences, Limerick Lace, trained for JP McManus by the in-form Gavin Cromwell, justified 8-11 favouritism in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Rated Novice Chase in Down Royal.
Ridden by Luke Dempsey, the Walk In The Park mare tackled front-runner Irish Blaze at the second last, asserted before the final obstacle, and forged clear to score by eight lengths.
Having saddled his fourth winner in the last three racing days, Cromwell said: “It’s grand to get her to win over fences. They went a good gallop and she jumped a little right.
“I thought she’d win in Limerick, but she might have bumped into one. I’d say the sharper pace suited her today.
“We’ve been lucky with her family and, although we have no definite plan for her, we’d love to get a bit of black type.”
Market-leaders Doctor Bravo (11-10) and The Big Doyen (10-11) dominated the finish of the opening Molson Coors Beverage Company Maiden Hurdle, victory going to the Gordon Elliott-trained runner whose stamina kicked in on the run from the final flight as the Doctor Dino gelding stretched away to score by two and three-quarter lengths.
Elliott said: “Davy (Russell) said it was a messy race and that he got stuck in a pocket. He’s a horse that wants further and was strong from the last to the line. He showed a good attitude.”
Russell, who received a three-day careless riding ban, added: “It was a stop-start race and he did well to win. His jumping was very good in the latter part of the race and he found plenty. He’ll have no problem stepping up in trip.”
Elliott delivered a double for Doctor Bravo’s owners, Caldwell Construction, when No Time To Wait, third on debut at Leopardstown over Christmas, made all in the bumper, the Pravha Flat Race.
The Walk In The Park gelding made every yard of the running and, shaken up by Jamie Codd turning for home, soon lengthened clear to slam Soldante by 15 lengths, with favourite Macdermott well held in third.
“He’s a fine, big, galloping horse, a horse for next year,” stated Elliott. “He jumps well at home, but won’t run over hurdles this season.”
Well-supported in the morning and sent off at odds of 7-2, Sean O’Brien’s The Gradual Slope landed the Franciscan Well Rated Novice Hurdle, prevailing, on the nod, over Marelly after a tremendous tussle.
The six-year-old was another winner for in-form 7lb claimer Cian Quirke and delighted trainer O’Brien, who said: “We gave him a long summer break, which did him good. He ran okay in Leopardstown and we felt he had improved since then. He was entered for Fairyhouse, but we decided to come here. And the plan now is to go for the three-mile handicap at the Dublin Racing Festival.”
Quirke completed a double when the Sam Curling-trained mare Angels Dawn, unlucky when pipped at Punchestown last time, swooped late to deny Ballykeel by a half-length in the Madri Excepcional Handicap Chase.
But Quirke was in trouble with the stewards and accrued a total of five days of bans, four for his use of the whip (one day for The Gradual Slope and three for Angels Dawn ) and one for careless riding on The Gradual Slope.
Veteran Wee Small Hours opened his chasing account, at the 17th attempt for Michael Rice, from outside Dundalk, when taking the Aspall Handicap Chase under 7lb claimer Dillon Maxwell.
The 14-year-old, a dual-winner over hurdles, mastered fellow veteran Garrai Phaidin before holding the late surge of Aodhan May by a half-length to record his first success since January 2018.
In front before the second last, the Philip Rothwell-trained Karen’s Gift (14-1) responded to James O’Sullivan’s urgings to hold the persistent challenge of favourite Kalanisi Dubh by a nose in the Coors Mares Handicap Hurdle.
