GORDON Elliott’s battalions kept rolling into Troytown Chase day with a hat-trick on Sunday at Navan - bringing the Cullentra haul to eight winners across the weekend.

Elliott has won the Grade 3 John Lynch Carpets & Flooring Monksfield Novice Hurdle with the likes of Samcro and Death Duty in recent years, and The Yellow Clay joined that smart roll of honour with a commanding success as 8/11 favourite under Jack Kennedy. The leading rider registered a five-timer of his own over the two days.

A homebred for Noel and Valerie Moran’s Bective Stud, the Grade 1-placed bumper performer had too much class for his rivals and was trimmed to 12/1 (from 16/1) with Paddy Power for the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle after this.

Speaking after the 10-length success over Where’s My Jet, Elliott said: “You’d imagine we’ll now go to the Lawlor’s Of Naas Novice Hurdle [at Naas in January]. He’s a nice horse and has always done everything well at home. He has a great attitude and a great laid-back way of racing.”

Deadly Days

Bective managed to seal a personal four-timer at the Navan Racing Festival when Better Days Ahead (2/1) showed too much for Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner Slade Steel in an intriguing Race And Stay Irish EBF Beginners Chase.

Last season’s Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle winner was always to the fore over two and a half miles in this four-runner affair and had four lengths to spare over Slade Steel (1/2 fav).

On the whole, Slade Steel jumped adequately for a chasing debutant, while Better Days Ahead guessed at fourth but was accurate enough for a chasing newcomer overall and was excellent at the last.

“Noel and Valerie [Moran] are massive supporters of Cullentra and they have invested a lot of money in racing,” said Elliott.

“They are getting their dividends now. It takes time to get where we are and to get winners for them at Navan, their local track, is like a dream come true.

“I’m absolutely delighted for them and this is a special weekend.”

On what could be next for Better Days Ahead, who was cut to 12/1 (from 25/1) for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, Elliott added: “He’s entered in the Drinmore, that might just come a bit too soon. We’ll look at something probably around Christmas.”

TIPPERARY-based trainer Ray Hackett was thrilled after recording one of the biggest winners of his training career with Sequoiaspirit in the €45,000 Bar One Racing Tara Handicap Hurdle.

Carrying the colours of the trainer’s father Liam and ridden to victory by Liam Quinlan, the five-time flat winner had been winless in 18 attempts over hurdles prior to this and picked quite the moment to open his account in this sphere at 28/1.

“We’re used to tipping away quietly on a Wednesday or Thursday so come up here and do that, I really enjoyed it,” said the winning trainer.

“He’s a cracking little horse who we always felt had a nice race in him over hurdles. You’d think he’d be mad going down the inside in a big-field handicap with his size, but he loves it. He doesn’t realise he is only 15 hands - he thinks he is 17.1 or 17.2 hands!”

Look on the up

Gavin Cromwell is well able to produce useful juvenile hurdlers and looks to have another bright prospect on his hands for the division in the shape of Total Look (11/4), who made a winning introduction to hurdles in the Bar One Racing 3-Y-O Maiden Hurdle.

The mount of Keith Donoghue travelled strongly into the business end of the contest and was always doing enough to score by half a length.

Cromwell said of the Brendan Rogers-owned winner: “We bought him as a yearling to go juvenile hurdling in the long term - it doesn’t often work out to plan like that! He’s a lovely horse with plenty of size and scope and should keep improving.

“I’d say the Fairyhouse Winter Festival probably comes too soon but I wouldn’t rule anything out.”

There was an upset in the two-mile Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Maiden Hurdle where 30/100 fav Qualimita had no answer to the late surge of Cast A Spell, who made full use of her race fitness and experience to provide Tom Hogan with a Navan Racing Festival winner.

Given a strong ride by Cian Quirke in the colours of Alan Jamieson Site Services Ltd, the 12/1 shot had been placed on four of her previous eight starts over hurdles.

Hogan said: “It took a long time to get into her act jumping but she was faultless today and has the talent. She always runs with the handbrake a bit half-on, so there is a lot more there than she gives. I’ve found that those types of horses will always win plenty of races.”

Love conquers all

The red-hot Henry de Bromhead team bagged a ninth winner in the space of 14 days when Love Me defied a lack of experience as a four-year-old filly to make a winning handicap debut in the two-mile Gaeil Colmcille GAA Kells “Day At The Races” Handicap Hurdle.

Dr Peter Fitzgerald’s filly was easy to back at 14/1 under Darragh O’Keeffe, but showed a likeable attitude to run down Ian Donoghue’s St Denis’s Well and O’Faolains Glory.

“I thought she might have lacked a bit of experience, but maybe the [strong] gallop they went suited her,” said de Bromhead. “She could step up in trip with the way she hit the line.”

Ballyburn’s brave sibling

One of the toughest winners of the day was saved for the concluding Listed Coolmore N.H. Sires Hurricane Lane Irish EBF Mares Bumper when Churchfield Sunset (by Coolmore sire Wings Of Eagles) pulled out all the stops to fend off some well-regarded types for Emmet Mullins, John Gleeson and Conor O’Brien.

A half-sister to Grade 1-winning star Ballyburn, the gutsy four-year-old had won on debut at Cork in May before being turned over at Roscommon a month later. This was her first appearance since at 7/1.

Mullins said: “John deserves credit for his ride down the inner. This is cracking filly with a brilliant attitude. She’s very game and always has been. She picked up an injury at Roscommon and she’s one for slower ground. Fingers crossed she can go on to better things.”