A RACE that was high on quality served up its share of drama before Allegorie De Vassy confirmed her status as one of the most promising young mares in the country in the Grade 3 BetVictor Solerina Mares Novice Hurdle.

The Susannah Ricci-owned bay looked a quality recruit from France when winning nicely on her Irish debut over this course and distance on New Year’s Day.

However, she faced a stern test of her mettle here with Willie Mullins opting to field stablemates Brandy Love, Grangee and Braganza. Sean O’Keeffe took the mount on the winner with Paul Townend on fellow 7/4 joint-favourite Brandy Love.

Go left

The latter set out to make all but from around the fourth hurdle she showed a pronounced tendency to go left at her hurdles and forfeited considerable ground at several flights.

Brandy Love went dramatically out to her left at the second last in a manoeuvre that dealt her chances a severe blow and that flight also claimed her stablemate Grangee who was closing up at the time.

All the while though Allegorie De Vassy was impressing with how she was going through the race. She daughter of No Risk At All took charge after two out and she cleared the last in fine style for a smooth three-and-a-half-length defeat of Brandy Love who did well to finish as close as she did considering the ground she gave away.

“The jump she produced at the last showed what she had left. I think she will go straight to Cheltenham now,” said Mullins of the winner. “I think going left-handed will be a big plus for Brandy Love in the future. It was a tremendous run from her and I think she will go to Cheltenham too.”

Golden result

There was further joy for Willie Mullins and Susannah Ricci in the first division of the two-mile maiden hurdle as Ha D’Or readily justified his position as the 1/4 favourite.

A Grade 2-placed runner last season and second to Au Fleuron in a Navan maiden hurdle last time, Ha D’Or bossed this race from the front.

Celestial Horizon closed up nearing the straight and briefly threatened to make a challenge but the market leader was never hard-pressed to maintain a useful lead and was eased down to score by two and a quarter lengths.

“I was very pleased with how he jumped considering the speed he was going over some of those hurdles and if he can transfer that to fences next year he might be an exciting two-miler. He’ll go on to the spring festivals,” reported the trainer.

GORDON Elliott’s decision to field three runners in the opening BetVictor-sponsored beginners’ chase over just short of two and three-quarter miles yielded quite the return as Floueur (7/1) led home his dead-heating stablemates Grand Paradis and Frontal Assault.

Previously, the Mike Grech-owned winner has been undone by his jumping but he was much better through the race on this occasion until disaster almost struck for Jordan Gainford’s mount at the last.

After laying down his challenge off the final turn and holding the outright lead on the run to the last, Floueur got the final fence all wrong and collided with Grand Paradis.

To his credit he righted himself, and he kept on bravely to get home by half a length from Frontal Assault who finished well to dead-heat for second with Grand Paradis.

“There wasn’t an abundance of options over this trip so we decided to run all three,” observed Elliott. “I’d say we could look at some nice handicaps with all of them and I was pleased with how Floueur jumped apart from the last.”

A running and riding enquiry into the effort of Longacre Square, who finished 10th behind Floueur, resulted in jockey Shane Fenelon being hit with a 10-day suspension. Under Rule 212 A (ii) the stewards deemed that Fenelon rode his horse in such a way that the horse could not be seen to be the subject of a genuine attempt to obtain timely, real and substantial efforts to achieve the best possible placing.

Flame fired up

After looking somewhat unlucky when third to Bronn at Naas last month, Pat Doyle’s Flame Bearer made no mistake in the second division of the two-mile maiden hurdle. The trainer’s son, Jack, was on board this Linda Mulcahy and Mary Wolridge-owned gelding, who dominated this race from the front and finished with a dozen lengths to spare over Micro Manage.

The 6/5 favourite appeals as being good enough to land a decent prize before the end of the season.

L’Yser revs up

The other maiden hurdle on the card, which was restricted to horses who had never been placed, produced another clear-cut winner in the Barry Connell-owned and trained L’Yser (3/1). Donie McInerney’s mount made a few mistakes but was operating on a different level to these rivals and stretched clear in the straight to come home 12 lengths ahead of Uknowcarty.

“The step up to two and a half miles helped but he’ll need to smarten up his jumping when he goes into handicaps. He has a good engine though,” remarked Connell.