SHE looked a class act in winning her bumper, her debut success over hurdles confirmed as much and there is now little doubt that Finest Evermore is at least graded class as she dispatched some capable rivals with aplomb in the Allman Contracts Novice Hurdle over two and a half miles at Listowel last Saturday.
This daughter of Yeats turned in a lovely display from the front to justify her position as the 1/2 favourite and make it six winners at the week-long meeting for Willie Mullins.
On the run to the straight, the John Turner-owned mare took the measure of last season’s Fred Winter third Saint d’Oroux and in the straight she powered away to finish 13 lengths ahead of the Navan maiden hurdle winner and 91-rated flat horse Lynwood Gold.
“She jumped better at Tipperary but I suppose they were different hurdles today and she winged hurdles after the first three,” said Townend. “She was very good at the business end and that is three nice performances for us. She coped very well with a good step up in class today.”
The talented Winter Escape made it a day to remember for trainer Aidan Howard who took just over 15 minutes to register an across-the-card double (following El Tren’s win at the Curragh) when this nine-year-old came back to form in the Charlie Chute Memorial Handicap Chase.
A dual Grade 3 winner as a novice chaser, this J.P. McManus-owned gelding had spent some time in the wilderness since his defeat of A Plus Tard at Punchestown in early 2019.
However, he had dropped a stone in the ratings over the last year and went off the 11/4 joint favourite.
Even before the runners reached the straight in this extended two-mile affair the eye was drawn to the Mark Walsh-ridden gelding who struck the front with two to jump and went on to defeat the rallying Pound A Stroke by three lengths.
THE Harvest Festival began with a Gordon Elliott-trained winner and it concluded with another success for the leading trainer whose Weseekhimhere was hugely impressive in the Brendan Daly Memorial Slan Abhaile (Pro/Am) Flat Race.
The John Doyle and Caren Walsh-owned four-year-old impressed when winning a bumper at the Galway Festival and looked even better here as he made short work of this field. Jamie Codd just needed to change his hands slightly for the 6/4 favourite to ease clear over the last furlong and a half for an ultra-smooth nine-length triumph.
“He’s a good horse who handles most types of ground which is a positive. The way he has won there you’d be entitled to think of a better type of race and I’d say we will train him for Cheltenham,” reported the trainer.
Eamon Sheehy has been enjoying a productive season and his tough and genuine pace-setter Rudy Catrail (4/1) bagged his second success of the campaign in the Shanahan Power-sponsored amateur riders’ handicap chase over three miles. Shane Fenelon, who gets on so well with this nine-year-old, was again on board and Rudy Catrail blazed a trail in customary style. He took chances at a few fences but stayed upright and maintained an unrelenting pace to defeat Deadheat by six and a half lengths.
Owner Michael Ryan secured a victory at his much loved Listowel as Annie Pender (11/4) came good in the John Lynch Memorial Maiden Hurdle for four-year-olds.
John Queally’s second winner of the meeting was placed in a couple of maidens last season and progressed from her comeback fourth behind Red Gerry at Punchestown last month.
She made all the running for Denis O’Regan and did enough from the last to the line to hold off the well-backed Gevrey (11/1-6/1).
The odds-on Hammersmith could only manage fourth.
“She was a bit difficult last season when she was a bit free and keen but she’s relaxing much better now and she jumped super,” remarked Queally who could send his charge to Wexford for a mares’ hurdle later this month.
Hourigan off the mark with Drumacoo win
AT a track where he has enjoyed many fine moments, Michael Hourigan enjoyed another as Drumacoo (pictured bottom left) got him off the mark for 2020 in the M.J. Carroll ARRO Handicap Hurdle over two and a half miles.
Jockey Mark McDonagh, who only rode his first winner at the start of the week, was on board this 11-year-old who hadn’t run since December and was looking for a first win in close to five years. A patient McDonagh advertised his talents by producing the Mary Devine-owned gelding to challenge at the last and defeat the favourite Grange Walk by one and three-quarter lengths at odds of 14/1.
“He has been unlucky and my horses haven’t been well for the past couple of years. I knew he was coming though and he was a very good horse one time. He likes soft ground,” stated Hourigan.
Robert Tyner could have a progressive type on his hands in Exit To The West (13/2) who bolted up in the first division of the 80-102 rated handicap hurdle over two and a half miles. On her first outing since winning a point-to-point at Nenagh in February, this six-year-old loomed into contention facing up to the last couple of flights and Philip Enright hardly needed to exert himself for this mare to succeed by three and a quarter lengths.
The other division of the handicap hurdle was won by Gavin Cromwell’s Wadiyatink Now (11/1) who was returning from a 538-day absence from the track. Sean Flanagan was on board this Matthew Grimley-owned daughter of Shantou who was making her debut for the trainer. The seven-year-old took over the lead from Crack On Corrie at the last and went on to win by just under four lengths.