SPILLANE’S Tower isn’t the only promising young National Hunt horse in Jimmy Mangan’s care for J.P. McManus.

Pure Steel (4/5 favourite) has a long way to go to reach the heights of his dual Grade 1-winning stablemate but scored in the style of a useful prospect in the making when landing the two-mile-one-furlong Annual Membership Available Maiden Hurdle.

This was only the Yeats five-year-old’s second start under rules, having hinted at winning potential at the same track a month earlier when fourth, and the stoutly-bred point-to-point winner faced a fair task in having to concede 13lb to main market rival Luker’s Tipple.

Ridden by Mark Walsh, Pure Steel found generously for pressure and put a length and three quarters between himself and the four-year-old runner-up, who was sent off at 6/5 and pulled eight lengths clear of the third.

“Mark told me he wants further and he needs a bit of time as well,” said Mangan.

“He jumped the roadway at one stage so is still a young green horse. We couldn’t get him out in the autumn with it being so dry as on tight ground I wouldn’t chance him.

“Andrew Kinirons, the trainer of the runner-up, says he is going for the Fred Winter with his horse so more power to him. We’ll probably head to either Naas or Navan next as they are the two tracks that would suit him.”

Better fortunes

A good day for local trainers continued in the two-and-a-half-mile Weldon’s Supplier Of John Deere Grass Machinery Beginners Chase when Jay Pee M (7/2) came with a well-timed challenge under John Shinnick to score for trainer Terence O’Brien.

Five lengths clear when falling at the last on his stable debut in a point-to-point a month earlier, the J P M Syndicate-owned six-year-old built on some good runs last spring to get off the mark by two and a quarter lengths.

The victory continued a fine week for the trainer and rider, who were on the scoresheet at Clonmel on Wednesday.

Shinnick said: “I was trying to keep him relaxed as he was trying to bowl his way to the front and was also eager to jump left.

“He was hanging off the bends but down the home straight we had the rail to guide, which made my job easier.”

TOM Hogan hasn’t been afraid to keep Cast A Spell busy and the battle-hardened novice more than justified that campaigning when producing a thoroughly likeable display to win the feature Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Handicap Hurdle under Cian Quirke.

Since returning to the Co Tipperary-based trainer from the UK, the blacktype mare has run 15 times in 11 months (including 11 runs in the last five months) yet this performance was right up there with her very best - if not a career-best - in the colours of Alan Jamieson Site Services Ltd.

The dual-purpose campaigner was sent off at 100/30 and finished off strongly to beat Slim Marvel by a length and a quarter.

Hogan said: “She’s a grand mare and has now won a bit of everything [a bumper, a flat maiden and now two races over hurdles]. She runs her race every day but does absolutely nothing at home so you have to run her nearly every fortnight to keep her right.

“The dam [Blackwitch Woman] was a good mare for me and this mare could win a decent enough race on the flat over a trip - she wants a mile and six furlongs on the flat. Cian Quirke is very good to ride and we’ll look at another handicap hurdle with her next.”

Dullea delight

A clever ride from Danny Mullins helped 10-year-old Kings Halo bring up the fourth win of his career for trainer James Dullea and the Kings Halo Partnership in the Easyfix Handicap Chase.

Originally setting out as though to lead, the multiple Grade 1-winning rider opted not to get involved in a pace duel that did no favours to front-running favourite Rolly Bowley Boy (a disappointing seventh at odds of 5/4) and had the edge on his rivals when it mattered.

Three lengths was the winning margin over a back-to-form The Little Yank in second.

Dullea said: “He’s been a great horse for our yard and while he isn’t the easiest to train, is a good horse when he is right. Danny was excellent on him, he is some master of judging pace and went wider as he felt it was the thing to do.

“I’m delighted for the syndicate, who are with me years. You’d love it if he snuck into a Leinster National now as he stays three miles and has operated around Naas.”

Story success

Another Munster-based trainer among the winners at the Mallow track was Charles Byrnes, whose The Story So Far rewarded solid market support as the 11/10 favourite to capture the three-mile Mallow Maiden Hurdle under Philip Byrnes.

The Milkers Syndicate’s former bumper winner already held a mark of 113 coming into this and finished second in handicap company at the Limerick Christmas Festival last time.

Assistant trainer Cathal Byrnes said: “Philip gave him a lovely ride. He was the highest-rated horse so all he did was run to his rating. He looks around but that’s why he has headgear on and three miles is his trip. He’ll go handicapping now.

“The syndicate are all local and from Ballingarry: they’ve had a few horses with us over the years and it is great to get another winner for them.”

THE most comprehensive winner of the card came in the concluding Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Bumper as the Paul Nolan-trained Ufouria bolted up at 14/1 under Conor Smithers for owners Philip Byrne and Deirdre Kelly.

The Vadamos seven-year-old missed a little more than a year before her reappearance fourth at Limerick over Christmas and stepped up considerably on that showing here.

Speaking after the six-length success over 2/1 joint-favourite Lou And Shaz, Smithers said: “We always thought a lot of her; she’s a nice mare who was second behind a very decent mare [Only By Night] on her first run at Limerick, when I rode her.

“She had a setback, which was niggly and wasn’t anything major, and it meant she was off for a while. She got tired in the final furlong and a half at Limerick so we always knew she’d improve from it. What you saw today was what we thought of her and we think she will be a nice mare in the future.”

Jailhouse celebrations

Philip Rothwell and Tiernan Power Roche’s excellent season continued when Wardens Whisper won the two-mile-one-furlong Goldcrop Novice Handicap Hurdle as 6/4 favourite.

The four-length victory could make for celebrations in the prison service given the background of winning owners, the Twenty Fine Men Syndicate.

“Referencing the name of the horse, his owners are all prison wardens - so hence they are all tiny lads,” Rothwell quipped.

“It was very important for me as I’d been facing 20 big lads when the horse had been beaten! Simon Beasonson heads the syndicate and has been very good to me. The horse, who’ll have a little holiday now, deserved it and I’m delighted for the lads.”