Bar One Racing Hatton’s Grace Hurdle (Grade 1)

TURNING for home in the Bar One Racing Hatton’s Grace Hurdle, Impaire Et Passe looked set to get his season off to the perfect start but last year’s winners, Teahupoo and Jack Kennedy, had other ideas, delivering a well timed and sustained challenge from after the second last to worry the favourite out of it and make it back to back wins in the Grade 1 in front of just over 7,000 people at Fairyhouse on Sunday.

This was an admirable victory for the Robcour-owned gelding, still only a six-year-old, not least given the race circumstances - a slow pace set by stablemate Zanahiyr seemed unlikely to suit him given how well he stayed to win here last year. Despite that, he was able to show the speed that made him a dark horse for the Champion Hurdle two seasons ago, and he’s clearly a very good horse off a break - unbeaten coming off an absence of 50 days or more.

He was popular among the crowd and easily the most significant winner among the Grade 1 races - he’s a 4/1 shot for the Stayers Hurdle now - but it was a little bit disappointing to hear connections plan to go straight to that race now, under the belief that he is best served fresh.

“Obviously Willie’s horse was going to be hard to beat over two and a half (miles), we know our lad likes three (miles),” said Elliott, who trained Apple’s Jade to a hat-trick of wins in this race. “Jack was very clever on him, he said he was going to have one go in between the last two.

“The horse has gone a lot stronger. We’re delighted - fair play to Brian, Carmel, Rob and Courtney and the whole team (Robcour), they’re looking after me with nice horses. We’re going to go straight to Cheltenham now. That is what I was thinking and Brian just confirmed it for me.”

Reviews of Impaire Et Passe were mixed, but it was hard not to be disappointed with the 4/6 favourite. It was a bold call to stay hurdling with a view to eventually taking on Constitution Hill, and connections would have banked on him having enough speed to win the day here. It was his first run of the season and he did exert plenty of energy early in the race but the jury is out to an extent.

Waterford trainer John Flavin recorded his biggest success when his Street Value grounded out an attritional Listed Bar One Racing ‘Guaranteed Overnight Prices’ Porterstown Handicap Chase over the Irish National distance of three miles and five furlongs.

This was a deserved win for the trainer and the Waterford-based Miracle Cure Syndicate, after this eight-year-old took a horror fall while leading a three-mile handicap chase here on Irish National day in April. The softer ground and extra five furlongs proved no hindrance as he stayed on best to outpoint History Of Fashion and Regina Dracones.

“He got a wicked fall here last Easter in the race after the Grand National, and I thought it was game over for him but thankfully he got back up so this is more so for the horse and for the lads, they deserved a big day like that,” Flavin said. “They walked out of here last April broken men and I did as well but to come back and do that is unbelievable.

“They went a wicked gallop which I knew would suit him because he stays and stays and Danny (Mullins) gave him a great ride. He’s just a very tough horse”

Bar One Racing Royal Bond Novice Hurdle (Grade 1)

IT didn’t look likely turning for home, but with the aid of Jack Kennedy, Farren Glory was able to get himself out of a hole, and once in clear daylight, he came home best to see off stablemate King Of Kingsfield to claim the Grade 1 Bar One Racing Royal Bond Novice Hurdle for Gordon Elliott.

The Niall Earls-owned gelding looked smart winning a maiden hurdle at Clonmel but his runner-up Irish Panther let the form down since, and so he was an 8/1 shot here in an open contest.

The pace of the race didn’t appear to be too taxing, resulting in the eight runners closing right up to each other on the turn in, and while the form is open to question, the six-year-old deserves credit for overcoming traffic problems and was probably a cosy winner at the line.

“This horse is going to have to improve again,” Elliott said. “I wouldn’t say it was the strongest Grade 1 ever, but to be fair, a few things went wrong in Clonmel, we didn’t want to make the running and we had to, so we were hoping for a bit of pace today. He settled in behind the leaders and it worked out brilliantly.

“This is back where it started for me. I trained my first ever Cheltenham winner for John Earls, brother of Michael and uncle of Niall who own this lad. It’s great for Michael and Niall and the whole team at EasyFix, they put a lot into racing.

“They sponsored here yesterday, the rubber we are standing on here, all the fences, this is their company. Michael and Niall have bought a couple of good horses with me. We’ve been looking for a good one for a while and we’ve found one.”

Gavin Cromwell’s Brides Hill just about held to win the opening Bar One Racing ‘Bet €10 Get €50 Sign Up Offer’ Irish EBF Mares Handicap Chase from the fast finishing Queen Jane.

The six-year-old mare travelled smoothly into the race and it looked all over once she went by long-time leader Must Be Obeyed, but she tied up in the closing stages and only had a head to spare at the line.

“She needed the line but I’d say they probably just over-raced on that ground,” Cromwell said. “Apart from the first, she jumped really well. We’ve done an awful lot of schooling with her and the penny has finally dropped.

“She is probably one for the spring but maybe we could find her something at Leopardstown where the ground might not be so bad on the chase track.”

Owners Bronsan Racing completed a significant and poignant big-race double at the Fairyhouse Winter Festival when Nurburing came through late on to get the better of Kala Conti in the Grade 3 Bar One Racing ‘Price Boosts Across All Channels’ Juvenile Hurdle.

Remarkably, they had to endure another stewards’ inquiry with this son of Zoffany, who lost out to the very useful Wodhooh after he was deemed to interfere with Gordon Elliott’s filly at Killarney. Gelded since that run, he took a big step up here, staying on strongly to catch long-time leader Kala Conti, with favourite Batman Girac encountering problems with his tack earlier in the straight.

Bar One Racing Drinmore Novice Chase (Grade 1)

ON his final day as a registered novice chaser, I Am Maximus maxed out on that opportunity by recording a maiden Grade 1 success in the Bar One Racing Drinmore Novice Chase for Jody McGarvey, Willie Mullins and J.P. McManus.

Returning to the scene of his remarkable Irish Grand National triumph, this success was a lot more straightforward, as bar a mistake at the ninth, he managed to keep tabs with Letsbeclearaboutit and Found A Fifty, and once he was within striking distance of the lead between the final two fences, you always got the feeling he’d be finishing best.

He had too much for Found A Fifty in the end, with Letsbeclearboutit folding tamely into third. It was a fourth Grade 1 win for Jody McGarvey, his third for Willie Mullins in the McManus silks, and a good turn of fortune after injuries had kept him on the sidelines over the last two seasons.

On the winner, Mullins admitted he may have to change plans now. He said: “He’s a total character this horse. Jody gets on well with him and Paul gave him a great ride in the National. He looks a class horse now rather than just a handicapper so we might have to make different plans now.

“He has a funny action when you look at him head on and I’d imagine softer ground is more to his liking. He obviously likes this track as well. I thought he was beaten turning for home and to do what he did to the straight there shows he’s a good horse and he has a little class when he needed it.”

Common Practice made it three wins for Joseph O’Brien and five wins for J.P. McManus at the Winter Festival when he quickened up smartly on the outside of a quick field to claim the two-mile Listed Bar One Racing ‘Paying Extra Places Daily’ Handicap Hurdle from By Your Side and Conyers Hill.

The four-year-old son of Gleneagles finished fourth to Lossiemouth in the Grade 3 juvenile hurdle on this card last season and was well held by Blood Destiny in January.

He looks an improved horse now however, and this was a clear career best. Given his age profile, he could well improve again, and an 8lb rise seems warranted. Connections boldly had a go at the old ‘Pierse Hurdle’ at the Dublin Racing Festival last season where he unseated, and it would not be a surprise if they ended up back there again.

The finale, the Bar One Racing ‘Guaranteed Multiples All Shops’ (Pro/Am) Flat Race, featured a tough front-running performance from Petit Secret and Patrick Mullins, who got the better of a sustained challenge from Bleu De Vassy and Harry Swan. The son of Muthathir comes from a family of blacktype performers and is owned by the Shanakiel Racing Syndicate, who also owned dual Grade 1-winner Bacardys.