Hello Neighbour puts Cromwell back among Irish Grade One winners
Hello Neighbour won the Gannon's City Recovery & Recycling Services Juvenile Hurdle (Grade 1) for trainer Gavin Cromwell. Pic: Healy Racing
Despite a dearth of runners from the very top level, Gavin Cromwell has worked his way to be amongst the elite trainers in this country, and yet when Hello Neighbour won the Gannon’s City Recovery & Recycling Services Juvenile Hurdle under a confident Keith Donoghue, the Co Meath handler was thrilled and relieved to be back amongst the Grade One winners in Ireland.
The horse, unbeaten in four outings under all codes, was less keen than when winning here at Christmas and even if there is room for improvement in that department, he is entitled to serious consideration for the Triumph Hurdle, where he will appear next.
“Thrilled,” exclaimed Cromwell. “It’s so competitive, I haven’t won a Grade One in Ireland in over four years. That’s just the nature of how competitive it is, but he’s a proper one.
“We brought him along slowly and he’s answered every call, and hopefully he will improve again. He’s still a little bit keen but I think he’s going to learn every day. He’ll be fine. The more he does, the better he’ll be.”
Cromwell completed a quick double when Perceval Legallois took the Race And Stay At Leopardstown Handicap Hurdle for the second time, having also won it in 2023.
Something of a Leopardstown specialist, he won a valuable handicap chase here at Christmas and held every chance until falling at the last in another handicap chase at this meeting in 2024.
“You wouldn’t think he was after running over fences,” said Cromwell. “He was very nimble over hurdles. I thought coming here he’s a better chaser than he is a hurdler, but he was good there. He’s in the Grand National so we’ll have to consider it.”
Noel Meade’s primary focus is now on his Flat brigade but the multiple champion National Hunt trainer, who won the Galway Plate in 2024, produced a fine performance to take the Grade Two Paddy Power Play Card Bumper with Colcannon. Derek O’Connor’s mount was without a run since Galway in October, but he travelled sweetly throughout and readily put his rivals to the sword.
“The intention, after he won his bumper, was to go jumping, but his schooling just wasn’t going the way I wanted it to go,” said Meade. I felt he was going to take a run or two over hurdles to get where we wanted him.
“I said we’d go with a different plan, and we decided to run him in a bumper at Christmas but the day before he came up with a couple of spots, so we had to take him out. Unfortunately, he’s not qualified for Cheltenham, but I think he’s okay for Punchestown, so we’ll plan for that.”
Paul Nolan’s An Peann Dearg ran out as easy a winner as any on the day when he took the listed Ryanair Handicap Chase in the hands of Sean O’Keeffe. It completed a Leopardstown festival double for the eight-year-old, who was a narrow winner at the Christmas meeting here.
