Saint Sam made every step of the running to claim a comfortable victory in the Clonmel Oil Chase on Thursday.
From the front ??
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) November 7, 2024
Saint Sam and @PTownend make all to land the Grade 2 Clonmel Oil Chase ??????
A double on the card for @WillieMullinsNH ?? pic.twitter.com/8D8MdJx4P0
Willie Mullins’ seven-year-old was in good form throughout the summer, reverting to hurdles to win at Cork and then travelling over to Auteuil to take the Prix de l’Orleanais over two and a quarter miles.
He stepped up in trip and back into the chasing division at Clonmel, where he was the 6/4 favourite at Grade 2 level under Paul Townend.
In a keen run he surged clear of the rest early on and stayed at the head of affairs, as victory never looked in doubt. The Joseph O’Brien-trained Solness briefly flattered, but it was Gordon Elliott’s Fil Dor who came closest to him, six and a half lengths back in second.
“He is a hardy bit of stuff, has his way of doing it and you’re a passenger on him, as much as anything,” said Townend.
“If you pull against him he ends up going faster and Brian Gleeson (racecourse presenter) summed it up well when he said “steered by…!
“I had a little look behind and was surprised he (Solness) was coming with me, but that doesn’t really affect my horse, as he is half-daft.
“In France the last day James Reveley (aboard runner-up Gallipoli) took me on very early in the race, but we were still going the same gallop. He is a big, strong horse so when he makes a mistake he just gallops away from it.
“He is so hard on himself, but there is fire in his belly and he is a great servant for those races.”
In the Pink
Pink In The Park was an impressive winner of the T.A. Morris Memorial Irish EBF Mares Chase at Clonmel for Willie and Danny Mullins.
Pink In The Park pings the last to bounce back in fine fashion under @dan2231, winning the T.A. Morris Memorial Irish EBF Mares Chase for @WillieMullinsNH ??@IrishEBF_ pic.twitter.com/pZqsPEAddi
— ClonmelRaces (@ClonmelR) November 7, 2024
The 11/2 chance was a good deal less fancied in the market than her stablemate Allegorie De Vassy, who was the 1/3 favourite for the listed feature and the mount of Closutton number one Paul Townend.
However, the latter was undone by her less than fluent jumping, whereas Pink In The Park travelled well throughout and took up the lead approaching the last fence.
From there she stayed on resolutely to prevail by four lengths from Thomas Gibney’s Must Be Obeyed, with Allegorie De Vassy back in fourth when beaten 10 lengths.
“It was a good performance. She took on the geldings the last day (in the BetVictor Novice Chase) and while we were disappointed, she ran a respectable fourth,” said the winning rider.
“That probably sharpened her, she jumped great across the top and battled well at the finish.
“I didn’t think I’d be beating Allegorie, but you never know, especially with mares, and these races can often throw up funny results. She has had a good consistent summer and is going the right way.
“I won on her brother Mister Pink in Punchestown recently, they’re a good breed so people could be lining up for the next one.”
First win
Pat Doyle’s Brave Fortune claimed his first win under rules in the I.N.H. Stallion Owners EBF Maiden Hurdle.
The five-year-old was a point-to-point winner in October last year but had yet to strike in five runs over hurdles prior to this.
He started as the even-money favourite under Jack Doyle and after encountering testing going previously he looked more at home on good to yielding and was a decisive five-and-a-half-length winner.
“I thought he was capable of doing that, but he has been disappointing,” the trainer said.
“He appreciates the ground and if the ground stays the way it is, we’ll look for the two-mile-four-furlong ‘winners’ of one’ race at Thurles in the coming weeks – two and a half plus is his trip.
“He is a lovely big horse who cost a lot of money and we were always hoping he’d do something like that.
“He will make a nice horse over fences and will go chasing in the spring but won’t run on winter ground.”
Class horse
Andrew Slattery’s Plains Indian who came out on top in the Clonmel Oil Service Station Handicap Hurdle, prevailing by two and a half lengths at 9/1 under Cian Quirke.
“I suppose he was the class horse in the race being a listed winner and I know he has been disappointing but the ground was too soft for him all year,” said Willie Slattery, brother to Andrew.
“He had a good first run back this year and if he hadn’t run twice since on ground which was too hard, he’d have been favourite today. We think he is well handicapped on the flat but can’t get the ground for him.
“We’ll try for another 0-140 handicap now and he could either go to Cheltenham later this month or to Leopardstown over Christmas.”