TWO days before his appeal into a six-month suspension of his licence was due to be heard, Viking Hoard’s former trainer Charles Byrnes plundered another major handicap prize as Off You Go rediscovered his best form to land the Gaelic Plant Hire Handicap Chase.

A dual winner of the Ladbroke Hurdle at this meeting and without a win since the second of those successes in 2019, Off You Go (10/1) recaptured his best form to emerge best of an eight-strong challenge from owner J.P. McManus.

All the way back in 2004 this race was run at Leopardstown in mid-January when it took place on the same card as what is now known as the Ladbroke Hurdle and Byrnes recorded a famous double that day with Dromlease Express landing the hurdle after Cloudy Bays made all in this race.

It wasn’t anything like as clear-cut as Cloudy Bays but the margin of victory will hardly matter as Mark Walsh excelled in producing Off You Go from off the pace to make his bid at the last fence and get on top late in the day for a half-length triumph. He edged out fellow McManus-owned runner Minella Times by half a length.

“Mark was brilliant on him. I was delighted and surprised to see Mark go for him on Friday morning and the horse wouldn’t have won only for the brilliant ride he got today,” reflected Byrnes.

Upsetting

Regarding the Viking Hoard controversy the trainer said: “It’s very upsetting for myself and my family, and racing in general. We just have to let it take its course now.

“We don’t believe that we were in any way negligent. There are lessons to be learned from all sides. It is a very unfortunate incident that wasn’t followed up properly from day one and it has been left to drag on.

“Nobody has been held to account for laying the horse. Betfair are not putting anyone forward. I have big questions about the horse being laid,” he added.

A HEARTENING success for one of the country’s smallest yards was in the offing in the €100,000 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Paddy Mullins Mares Handicap Hurdle where Heaven Help Us, one of just three horses that Paul Hennessy has run on the track this season, obliged.

No stranger to major success in the greyhound world, Hennessy was recording his biggest success on the track in this well-endowed prize and for good measure he also bred the daughter of Yeats who was returning to hurdles following a spell chasing.

The mount on last season’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle seventh went to Richie Condon, whose second winner of the season arrived on the most opportune of stages, and he had the John Turner-owned seven-year-old racing in a clear second from early on.

In a race where very few every got closely involved, Heaven Help Us (16/1) set sail for home turning in and she kept on bravely to withstand the oncoming Global Equity by a neck.

Special win

“It’s very, very special to win this. Paddy Mullins was our next door neighbour and when I was young I used to love going racing and Paddy brought me everywhere,” reflected an elated Hennessy. “She’s been a very special mare for us, she’s won in Cheltenham, been placed in a Grade 1 and now she’s won here,. I might run here in the Pertemps Qualifier at Punchestown later this month to see can we get her to Cheltenham.”

THE two days at Leopardstown resembled some of those unprecedented bonanzas that Willie Mullins has enjoyed at the Punchestown Festival and the trainer ended the meeting with a spectacular nine-winner haul with two other victories over the course of last Sunday.

The second of these came courtesy of the 18/1 chance Grangee in the Grade 2 Coolmore NH Sires EBF Mares INH Flat Race.

One of five runners in the race for her trainer, this Syndicates Racing-owned daughter of Great Pretender needed to bounce back from a decisive defeat at Market Rasen last month and she did so in great style. Jody Townend also excelled as she conjured a steady charge from her mount to come from well off the pace and strike the front in the last 50 yards for a neck triumph over Party Central.

“I was disappointed with her at Market Rasen but the winner looked a very good mare and our mare probably learnt a lot travelling away from home for the first time,” commented Mullins. “She enjoys being ridden that way and we’ll have a chat about where she goes. I’d always be keen to go to Cheltenham.”

Maze switched on

The champion trainer’s domination wasn’t just restricted to graded events as he pulled out a left field winner in the 40/1 chance Maze Runner who turned up in the form of his life in the William Fry Handicap Hurdle.

On his third run back from an absence of over a year and a half, Maze Runner lined up in this three-mile contest at the foot of the weights and from some way out he was catching the eye given the ease with which he was travelling under Conor McNamara.

In the colours of the trainer’s wife, Jackie, the six-year-old eased into the lead on the run to the last and he found plenty on the run-in to fend off the effort of Unexpected Depth by six and a half lengths.

“He raced too keen in Navan and racing like that he wasn’t jumping well. Today I just said to Conor to get him switched off which he did and he gave him a super ride. He rode him for luck and it paid off,” stated Mullins.

“I’ll look forward to all the festivals with him for the rest of the season and he can go back and race on the flat as well. There could be a big handicap in him on the flat.”