HE has perhaps taken a little time to find his feet as a jumper but Poseidon is firmly heading in the right direction and he made it three wins from his last six starts in the featured Grade B GMHD Handicap Hurdle.

Fresh from a fine second to Nibblers Charm in a decent race at Galway, the Martin White-owned gelding produced a nice effort to justify 7/2 favouritism under Cathal Landers. As the runners filed into the straight in this two-mile race, the six-year-old caught the eye and from before the last he looked to have the measure of a game Born By The Sea who went down by a length and a quarter.

“That was a decent race he ran in at Galway and he enjoyed the ease in the ground here. Hopefully he might head on to Listowel now for another good handicap hurdle,” said trainer Charles Byrnes. “I’m pleased for the owner who has been a very loyal supporter through thick and thin and this horse was a bit disappointing initially but he’s getting it together now.”

Doing well

Anything Will Do (15/8), who did especially well to win four times over hurdles last season, got a new chapter of his career off to a bright start as he made a winning debut over fences in the Kelly Brothers Farm Beginners Chase over just short of three miles.

J.J. Slevin was on board Joseph O’Brien’s charge who stole through on the inside of the 80/1 front-runner Do Ya Feel Lucky to challenge after two out.

The Annus Mirabilis Syndicate-owned gelding was then in front jumping the last and went on to score by two and three-quarter lengths.

“He was a decent horse over hurdles where he was rated 133 and was placed in a graded race. He’s not the biggest but he has plenty of scope,” commented the rider.

Mullins tunes in with tasty treble

AS expected the opening two races on the card went to script as Willie Mullins struck with a pair of odds-on favourites and the second of these, the Galway Hurdle fifth Buildmeupbuttercup (8/13), recorded a deserved blacktype success in the Listed GMHD Mares Hurdle.

However, there was a long shadow cast over the outcome of this race as the second favourite Penny Out sustained a fatal injury at the second last flight when still in with every chance.

At this stage the Paul Townend-ridden winner had cruised into contention and the demise of Penny Out left the John Turner-owned mare with a straight-forward three and a quarter length success over Dollys Destination.

Since winning a Navan maiden hurdle on her jumping debut, Buildmeupbuttercup has been placed at Royal Ascot and two premier handicaps on the flat and she had reached the frame in a host of top handicap hurdles. She more than deserved to get her turn.

Earlier, the Mullins-trained and Susannah Ricci-owned Jon Snow made it three wins on the spin over jumps in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Novice Hurdle over an extended two and three quarter miles.

The 8/15 favourite scored by 35 lengths under Townend but endured a couple of minor scares. He shied away from the tape at the start and made quite a bad mistake at the fourth last but otherwise he was operating on a different level to these rivals.

“He saw out the trip well and although the mistake four out knocked him back a little he was hard on the bridle again turning for home and he stayed going well,” stated the rider.

The champion trainer then combined with his son Patrick to take the Beaufort Golf Club-sponsored bumper with the Annette Mee-owned Purple Mountain. This Beat Hollow filly was looking to build on a respectable debut at Punchestown on New Year’s Eve.

The 6/5 favourite was given a decent test by the well-backed newcomer Colonel Mustard but was just too good for that one over the last furlong and a half and came home with three lengths to spare.

Compensation for Crazywork

Deserved recompense came the way of Crazywork De Vassy (4/1) in the Kelly Foley O’Connor Pyne Handicap Chase where the eight-year-old made up for a second last fence exit at Kilbeggan recently when he was travelling smoothly in the lead.

A first winner for owner-trainer Michael McDonagh since April 2019, the eight-year-old gave an exhibition up front for Darragh O’Keeffe and finished some 20 lengths clear of his discouraged opponents.

Michael Kennedy’s Galway Festival winner Smithscorner (5/1) shouldered top weight to victory in the Laurels Pub & Restaurant Handicap Chase over an extended two miles.

This gelding was a sixth winner in 10 days for Conor McNamara. From the second last fence he always looked to have the measure of Ballyegan Hero who lost out by three lengths.

The 125-rated nine-year-old is owned by Charles Duggan.