Racing Post Novice Chase (Grade 1)

THE final running of the Grade 1 Racing Post Novice Chase was a fascinating contest that went to Found A Fifty (16/5), providing his trainer Gordon Elliott with a second win in the race, but more significantly it was a second Grade 1 win for owners Noel and Valerie Moran of Bective Stud.

The first of those Grade 1 wins came just under two years ago through Ginto, who sadly suffered a fatal injury just as he was mounting a challenge in the Albert Bartlett Novice Hurdle. That horse was reminiscent of how the ball just didn’t hop for the Morans, but things are looking a lot brighter now via a very promising team of young horses that also includes American Mike and Firefox.

Jack Kennedy was instrumental to this success in what was a tactical contest. After an early scare, when the five-year-old tried to duck out at the rail just after the stands, he was mostly allowed to set a steady early tempo. He continuously jumped to his right, possibly leading Facile Vega to do the same, but once Patrick Mullins got the favourite on Kennedy’s inside, it looked ominous.

However Facile Vega found very little when asked in the straight, and when Found A Fifty got back to the front, you knew he would see it out strongly, and he held off the late challenge of the patiently ridden My Mate Mozzie, with course specialist Sharjah running nicely in third and Facile Vega eased down to finish last of the four.

Arkle

Found A Fifty was cut to 10/1 generally for the Arkle. He has work to do to be seen as a real live one in that contest, notably running at a faster pace at this trip and jumping straighter, but on the flip side, he has that scope to improve further.

“He’s very quirky, but he’s got a massive engine,” Elliott said of the winner. “To get a Grade 1 winner is brilliant as it looked like we were unlucky in Aintree (Farren Glory fell in the Formby Novices’ Hurdle). Jack gave him a wonderful ride. He had to use his head everywhere as he even went to have a look at the rail after the first fence.

“He’s a good horse. He was actually the highest-rated novice chaser in England or Ireland coming into the race today but there is a quirk in him – most good ones have a little bit of a quirk.”

Earlier, Elliott and Kennedy combined to win the Thorntons Recycling Maiden Hurdle with Royal Bond runner-up King Of Kingsfield (15/8).

Despite that strong form, and also a second to subsequent Grade 2 scorer Slade Steel, the Gigginstown horse was second in the betting to the much touted Mirazur West. That Willie Mullins-trained gelding led for much of the contest but he was picked very easily once Kennedy produced his mount at the last, the pair going away for a six-length win.

“We were riding him all wrong and the last day we changed our minds in the Grade 1,” said Elliott. “Jack was delighted with the way he settled, and he jumped well, so we’re very happy.

“He’s not a bad horse and to be honest he had disappointed me up until now as I always thought he was a proper horse. He might just come good now, I’d say the ground could be key to him as well.”

KALA Conti (7/2) was perhaps a little unlucky to lose her unbeaten record at the hands of Nurburgring in a Grade 3 contest at Fairyhouse earlier this month, but she went one better for Gordon Elliott this time, providing her rider Danny Gilligan with a first Grade 2 win in the Mercedes South Dublin Juvenile Hurdle.

In a steadily run contest, Gilligan had the Robcour-owned filly in an advantageous position, and she picked up really well early in the straight. She had to reach for the last, but was quick away from the flight, and that was the platform to see her home.

This is often an informative contest and the second and third, Kargese and Nurburgring, emerge with at least as much credit as the winner. The Willie Mullins-trained Kargese was making her seasonal/stable debut and ran keenly through the early stages, while Nurburgring was caught for a turn of pace by his old rival, to whom he was 7lb worse off at the weights, but he saw out his race really well and appeals as one who will be more at home at Cheltenham.

Impressive Punchestown scorer Mighty Bandit was disappointing as favourite, but was found to have nasal discharge post race. On Kala Conti, Elliott said: “It was a good performance, she was tough. She didn’t lose much in defeat the last day, only that she got beat. We’re happy today. I’d say she likes a good gallop, she’ll stay very well.”

The winning rider added: “I got a nice run around and I felt in control everywhere. The only worry I had was at the last, she kind of stretched for it and was lucky to find a leg at the back of it.

“I was getting 7lb off the horse that beat her the last day (Nurburgring), which was a big help, and I was quietly confident coming here today.”

There was a dramatic finish to the New Smart View Racecards By Racing Post Handicap Chase, with Path D’Oroux coming to challenge The Folkes Tiara (11/2), only to receive a mid air bump when that rival jumped to his left under Rachael Blackmore over the last.

The stewards looked into the incident but found no rider at fault but the winner was somewhat fortunate as Path D’Oroux looked to be travelling smoothly for Keith Donoghue, and traded at a low of 2.5 on Betfair. That said, The Folkes Tiara saw it out well on the run-in, and seemed to respond to the late challenge of runner-up The Big Chap.

Winning trainer Henry de Bromhead said: “He jumped super. Rachael was in front a lot sooner than I thought she would be but he actually jumped his way to the front so she just sat against him and took him back.

“He’s toughed it out really well. He got under the last a bit but picked up again and when the other horse came to him he went away.

“He ran okay in Fairyhouse on ground that wouldn’t be suitable for him, this ground is key to him as he likes a bit of nice ground.”

THE Leopardstown Christmas Festival got underway with a very promising performance from Edward O’Grady’s No Flies On Him (3/1), who led from pillar to post for Mark Walsh in the TRI Equestrian Maiden Hurdle.

The J.P. McManus-owned four-year-old always looked to have the measure of favourite Ascending in the straight, and he stuck to his task well to hold off the late challenge of D B Cooper. Both of those horses had race fitness on side, so this was a nice performance from the winner, whose trainer has very high hopes for.

“He looks like a very promising horse,” said O’Grady. “I’ve had a lot of swans in the last few years and they’ve all turned out to be geese but I think this fella might stay a swan.

“Mark said that there wasn’t any great pace so he was very happy to be in front. He jumped superb and maybe got a little bit lonely after the last but he was very happy with him.

“I suppose I’ll be told what to do with him but I wouldn’t mind stepping him up. He’ll have to be entered in Grade 1s anyway and fingers crossed I think he might just get there. He’s got size and scope and he’s only a four-year-old. I think there is going to be tremendous improvement in him, I hope so.”

Another very happy trainer was Eddie Cawley, whose Ataboycharlie (17/2) landed a bit of a touch in the careers@dornangroup.com Novice Handicap Hurdle.

The handicap debutant was held up in the 23-runner field and made eyecatching headway for JJ Slevin turning out of the back straight. Once he got to the front, he did well to see off the challenge of Woodstream Lad, holding on to score by a length and a quarter.

“It’s the dream to get one here,” said Cawley. “I definitely didn’t think he could do it in his first handicap. JJ said in the first mile the horse didn’t really know what to do because they were travelling that much faster.

“The ground is fairly lively there and totally different to the ground he was running on, but I think it suits him. We ran him on soft to heavy at Naas and he just couldn’t handle it.”

The closing Race And Stay INH Flat Race was won by Goldinthemountains (10/1) for Martin Brassil and Pa King.

The son of Almanzor ran fourth in a bumper at the Punchestown Festival last April and has been given time to develop since. He boxed on really well to get the better of the well backed Mywayofthinkin, and will stay in bumpers for this season.

“He’s a lovely horse,” said Brassil. “We got him after his summer break, Pat Doyle had him schooling in the spring and ran him in a bumper at Punchestown, he ran a beautiful race to be fourth.

“We hadn’t killed him with work, he’s strengthening up and enjoying life. He’s a lovely tempered horse, you could ride him up through the crowd there and he wouldn’t pay a blind bit of notice. He just has a good mind.”