ON a card that contained two Grade 1 contests the most impressive display belonged to Echoes In Rain who won the Grade 2 Paddy Kehoe Suspended Ceilings Novice Hurdle in the style of a top prospect.
This Barnane Stud-owned mare defeated the subsequent County Hurdle hero Belfast Banter by eight lengths in a Naas novice hurdle last time and she looks even better than a literal reading of that form would suggest.
As is her wont, the 2/1 shot tanked through the race for Paul Townend and when she was asked to go forward between the last two flights she produced an electrifying display to surge clear. Indeed she extended her superiority all the way to the line to score by 15 lengths and it will take a fair effort to lower her colours at Punchestown.
“She has plenty of talent but it’s just been a question of getting her to relax but she’s settling and learning all the time and in better races like this you get a good gallop which helps. She’s improving all the time and she will go to Punchestown,” stated Mullins.
Raven swoops
A great day for the trainer, which ended with a four-timer, also featured an impressive success for Dark Raven in the €100,000 Tattersalls Ireland Sales Bumper. This four-year-old created a big impression when scoring on his debut at Leopardstown a month previously and looked even better on his first start for owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede.
The 4/7 favourite took a little time to warm to his task but he was much the best where it mattered most. He was travelling smoothly turning for home, led well over a furlong out and then surged clear to dish out an 11 lengths beating to his rivals.
“He surprised us in Leopardstown to do what he did and today he confirmed that wasn’t a fluke. Patrick said he was very green and got a few knocks at the start and got pushed back which surprised Patrick having had the run before,” said the trainer. “He’s a lovely horse to go hurdling next year but we might have a look at the Champion Bumper at Punchestown.”
Barra’s progress
The day began with a winning favourite as the Mullins-trained and Paul Townend-ridden El Barra (5/4) made most of the running in the Ryan’s Cleaning, Waste & Recycling Maiden Hurdle over the minimum trip.
It was all quite straightforward for the Susannah Ricci-owned seven-year-old who progressed from a recent second to Coqolino at Navan to defeat Surprise Package by two and a quarter lengths.
ASHDALE Bob showed his below par effort behind Gaillard Du Mesnil at Leopardstown two months ago to be all wrong as he bounced back to form with a tremendously game display in the Colm Quinn BMW Novice Hurdle to record his second Grade 2 triumph of the season.
The complexion of this two-and-a-half mile affair changed dramatically at the third last where Egality Mans crashed out and took down fellow Willie Mullins-trained runner Power Of Pause in an incident which has left Paul Townend on the sidelines.
This left the odds-on Gentlemansgame in front but he looked a spent force early in the straight as Decimation and Ashdale Bob (10/1), who laboured badly early on, both loomed up for trainer Jessica Harrington.
An enthralling battle for supremacy between this pair then ensued and the Diarmuid Hogan-owned answered Robbie Power’s every call to scramble home by a neck.
“Robert said his class got him through. He’s grown a lot since Christmas and is only starting to fill his frame and he could be a really exciting prospect over fences next season,” stated the trainer’s daughter, Kate.
“Mum will speak to the owners but I would think that we might just leave him off until next season. I said to Robert I thought you were going to pull him up going past the stands and he said it did cross his mind but the horse then got into a nice rhythm heading down the back.”
A good day for Harrington ended with an across the card treble as the Power-ridden Jungle Junction (10/1) won the Grade B BoyleSports Novice Handicap Chase. The Olivia Frost-owned six-year-old, who was expected to progress for the switch to better ground in the spring, improved on last month’s beginners’ chase triumph at Naas to defeat Brawler by a length and a quarter having taken charge of the race with two to jump.
“He just wasn’t doing things right earlier in the season but he was better the last day and he was good again there too apart from launching himself at the first.
“He loved that nice ground and I’d imagine he will head on to Punchestown,” stated Kate Harrington.
Fenton success
Philip Fenton made it seven winners for the season as Stand Off (11/1) ran out a determined winner of the Cawley Furniture Novice Handicap Hurdle under Mark Walsh. The John Power-owned and bred son of Milan looked to be in trouble when he lost the lead to the 33/1 shot Fox Fearless at the last but he rallied splendidly to get back on top and carry the day by three-quaters of a length.
“He’s a big horse and a potential chaser for the future. He doesn’t give up too easily so I was confident when they came to the last that he could pull it out,” declared Fenton.
“Mark had said a while back on better ground there would be big improvement in this horse.”
Browne and Wild Shot suspended
A RUNNING and riding enquiry into the effort of Wild Shot who finished well in fourth in the maiden hurdle won by El Barra resulted in jockey Dylan Browne being hit with a 21-day suspension and the horse was banned from racing for 60 days.
The rider acknowledged that he did not look vigorous in his riding in the latter stages of this race but had kept his mount going by nudging him along.
Trainer John McConnell said he was delighted with the performance of his charge but felt that the rider should have been closer to the pace when the race began to unfold.