LIEUTENANT Command was a surprise 18/1 winner for Noel Meade in the feature Grade B Carrickmines Handicap Chase at Leopardstown on Sunday.

This looked a wide open affair beforehand, but in truth the race disentegrated, notably through the fall of Panda Boy, while Birchdale was pulled up before the last. The Gigginstown House Stud-owned winner battled well for his rider Michael O’Sullvian as he got the better of Mars Harper and Ilikedwayurthinkin on the run in, to record his first chase win since his debut over the larger obstacles.

The son of Kendargent had won his bumper on heavy ground at Limerick but Meade explained afterwards that the run may have misdirected him.

“That Limerick win is what codded me all along,” the trainer said. “I’ve been racing him on bad ground everywhere since and he just couldn’t handle it. He’s just a different horse on good ground and that made the difference to him.

“We’ll make sure he stays on that ground. I’m sure he’ll stay in training through the summer. I wouldn’t be surprised if in the long run he turned out to be a Galway Plate horse, though he is big and awkward, so needs plenty of space, so Galway may not be ideal in that regard.”

Gaoth Chuil had the form in the book to win two-and-a-half-mile mares’ handicap hurdle on the card and she duly obliged for Ted Walsh and Shane O’Callaghan.

Michael Ryan’s five-year-old had previously finished ninth in the Paddy Mullins Mares’ Handicap Hurdle here at the Dublin Racing Festival but the step back in trip looked a positive for her and she was going well away from her rivals after the last, to score by five lengths.

“She was ninth here the last day but she was going to be fifth, she just got mangled at the last,” Walsh said. “The trip is no problem for her and she might be better again going further - her dam was placed in the Queen Alexandra and won a November Handicap here over two miles.

“Michael will probably want to go to Liverpool but I’m not sure there is anything there for her. There is a conditional riders’ race - maybe she’ll run in that.”

FRESH off the plane on his journey back from Dubai, Gordon Elliott headed straight to Leopardstown where he had three winners.

The most interesting of the trio was The Yellow Clay, who travelled well for Jamie Codd and showed a smart turn of foot to come clear of Sattam, giving Noel and Valerie Moran their first winner as owner-breeders.

“I think he’s only the second home bred that they’ve had,” Elliott said. “They’ve bred a few and I imagine it might be half and half for them going forward. This is a nice horse. I love the way he hit the line. We think a lot of him.

“He’ll probably go to Limerick now for that listed bumper.”

Elliott had been at Meydan where his Coachello finished down the field in a Group 3 sprint at the Super Saturday meeting but he was off the mark straight away here with Fils D’oudairies, who took a two-mile-two-furlong hurdle run in memory of Anton O’Toole, the great Dublin footballer of the 70s and early 80s well known as The Blue Panther.

The Claudio Grech-owned eight-year-old was well backed for a two-mile handicap chase at the Dublin Racing Festival but ran disappointingly. However he had previously run second to Magnor Glory in a Grade B handicap hurdle at Listowel and looked a different proposition back over the smaller obstacles.

He was the only one who could keep up with a strong pace set by Saint Sam, who looked to be travelling comfortably for most of the trip but had no answer when reeled in by Davy Russell’s mount, who kept on well to win by three and a half lengths.

The middle leg of Elliott’s trio was the mare Jumping Jet who stayed on strongly for Jordan Gainford to get the better of Emily Roebling, with the pair coming 22 lengths clear in two-and-a-half-mile mares maiden hurdle.

This was much better from the daughter of Getaway who created a significant impression when she won a Gowran Park bumper by 29 lengths for trainer Barry Fitzgerald. She was subsequently bought by Brian Acheson’s Robcour operation but disappointed in both her starts over hurdles last year.

Moved on by Robcour, Elliott bought her back for current owners Jayne and Brian McConnell, for whom she made it third time lucky. She could well progress from here and should have plenty of opportunities in the spring and possibly summer, with Elliott also suggesting the decent ground could be what she needs.

WHEN your luck is in, your luck is in, and that is certainly the case for Gavin Cromwell who admitted his Tyre Kicker was “blessed to hold on” in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Rated Novice Chase.

It was a case of all change at the last where Brideswell Lad made a terrible blunder to get rid of JJ Slevin. Seamus Neville’s horse looked set to win comfortably, and so then did Tyre Kicker, who was well ahead of Irish Blaze, but the gap quickly diminished on the run-in.

The Christy Reynolds-owned gelding, ridden by Keith Donoghue, had just a short head to spare at the line with all connections going through the full set of emotions.

“I caught a look at the big screen and I could see that I was further clear and then I could hear the commentator and I started panicking,” the winning rider said. “He was idling, he’s done that in the past, where he gets to the front. I don’t even think the loose horse helped me, he was kind of looking at him. Thankfully we held on.”

Parmenion went some way to living up to a seemingly tall reputation when he made it third time lucky in maiden hurdles, bolting clear late on in the two-mile contest run in memory of Michael Rafferty, whose @AnaglogsDaughtr account was one of the most popular on racing Twitter.

The Joe and Marie Donnelly-owned gelding was all the rage for a maiden hurdle here at Christmas but could only manage third to High Definition and then finished second to Found A Fifty at Fairyhouse. That form was still head and shoulders above his rivals here, so a 14-length win needs that context, though Willie Mullins and Paul Townend think the son of Soldier Hollow is coming to himself now.

“Paul thought it was a case of him just getting fit,” Mullins said. “He’s always looked big and even I thought he looked big in the parade ring before the race. He’s probably just coming right. It’s a bit late in the season for that but at least he’s won well.

“I’ll probably keep him for Fairyhouse, Punchestown or Liverpool.”