Unibet Morgiana Hurdle

(Grade 1)

LAST year’s four-time Grade 1 winner State Man stamped his class all over the four-runner Grade 1 Unibet Morgiana Hurdle, being untroubled to win by five lengths at odds of 1/6.

Willie Mullins’ star hurdler took this race last year on his way to finishing second behind Constitution Hill in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.

The four-runner field was split two each from the Mullins and Elliott yards. It was the Gordon Elliott-trained Fils d’Oudairies who led before the field closed up before the second last and State Man took that flight almost level.

Fils D’oudairies and Sam Ewing steered a bit wide off the bend, leaving the door ajar for stablemate Pied Piper to go up the inner.

But State Man and Paul Townend had the move covered and the six-year-old should a nice bit of pace on the run to the last as Pied Piper found little when in the clear.

State Man quickened right away on the run-in to beat his stablemate Echoes In Rain by five lengths, as Fils D’oudairies took third from a disappointing Pied Piper.

The stewards inquired into the incident rounding the turn for home as it appeared Fils D’oudairies ran short of room. Sam Ewing stated that his mount drifted off the rails while Townend stated that he was pushed off his racing line. The stewards were satisfied that the incident was caused by Fils D’oudairies and that Ewing was in breach of Rule 226, in that he had made a manoeuvre during the race with the apparent intention of advantaging another runner trained by the same trainer. He was suspended for five racedays.

Townend said of the winner: “He’s very good. I suppose we weren’t sure if Sam was going to go or not beforehand, but the privilege of riding this lad is that is doesn’t really matter - he can go from the front or behind.

“It was grand to get a lead because he put his eye in on the first couple of hurdles whereas when he is dawdling away in front, he can actually go down and bunny hop them a little bit.”

On the incident on the bend he said: “I had a little peep leaving the back straight and saw where Jack was, I had a fair idea what was coming and what they had in their minds.”

Willie Mullins said: “Impaire Et Passe will go to Fairyhouse next weekend and we’ll try and keep them apart for as long as we can. They all have to get there in March.”

THE overall look of the Saturday Punchestown card was a four-three-one formation with the four winners going to the Gordon Elliott yard which continues to fire out the winners day after day.

Willie Mullins took home three winners on the card where five favourites scored in the eight races with four of them at odds-on. Noel Meade supplied the other winner with Ida’s Boy part of a four-timer on the afternoon for Gigginstown House Stud.

The experiment of running Flooring Porter right-handed failed in the three-mile Grade 2 Liam & Valerie Brennan Florida Pearl Novice Chase.

However, things were not made easy for the impressive Cheltenham debut winner when Churchstonewarrior unseated at the second and proceeded to run loose on Flooring Porter’s left, taking his concentration and giving Keith Donoghue a difficult time keeping him straight and concentrating on his fences.

Affordale Fury was sent off favourite and he too was disappointing with Sam Ewing looking down through the end of the first circuit and he could only finish fifth of six. Noel Meade reported he returned with a nasty gash on his heel.

The Elliott-trained winner Favori De Champdou (11/2) did it well, however. He travelled well and moved through to dispute it with Flooring Porter coming to three out as Flooring Porter jumped it to his left losing ground.

Waywardness

The two jumped the second last virtually upsides but from there on Flooring Porter’s waywardness ended his chance and as the winner went clear, it was Sandor Clegane who stayed on for second but 14 lengths back with Flooring Porter a length and a quarter back in third. Donoghue reported “the gelding hung right and jumped severely right” but he was found post race normal.

Kennedy said of the Gigginstown House Stud-owned winner: “The loose horse (Churchstonewarrior) wasn’t doing Flooring Porter any favours, but it was sort of working out well for me. He jumped great and galloped all the way to the line so I am very happy with him.

“He’s a very strong stayer and the further he goes, the better he gets. He could nearly have gone around there again.”

Elliott added: “He’d a good run the last day and we thought he’d come on from it, but we thought it would be tough.

“I liked the way he stayed galloping. He travelled the whole way and he could be a real National Hunt Chase horse for Cheltenham.”

Easiest win

Last year’s Punchestown Grade 1 winning Gaelic Warrior (4/11 favourite) had little difficulty in notching his first win over fences in registering the easiest win of the day in coming home 15 lengths clear of Inothewayurthinkin in the Conway Piling Beginners Chase over two miles and three furlongs.

He wasn’t as foot perfect as stable companion Klassical Dream had been at Thurles, brushing through six out, but by the time they were down the back straight with eight left to jump, he had opened up and 15-length advantage from a strung out field led by Cool Survivor. He was 20 clear coming into the straight and jumped the last two well to win as he liked.

Paddy Power shortened him from 6/1 favourite to 4/1 for the Brown Advisory and 7/1 from 10s for the Turners but where the three-mile Grade 1 novice hurdler winner appears will be the talk of the Festival build up.

Willie Mullins said: “It was a very good performance, way better than I expected. I thought he was a bit novicey at one or two, but never looked like falling and he ran very fresh today.

“He might go a longer trip but he’d have no problem going two and a half miles and two miles would be no problem to him either the way he ran there.

The CourtClinic.ie Chartered Physiotherapists Supporting Kilmacud Crokes GAA Maiden Hurdle over two and a half miles saw another winner for Gigginstown House Stud but this time from the Willie Mullins stable as 4/7 favourite Predators Gold came home six lengths clear of Mossy Fen Park, under Paul Townend.

He had a bit to do before two out as Jhentong Enki held a two-length advantage and had his pursuers at full stretch but on the run to the last, Paul Townend had plenty of horse under him.

He swept into the lead before the last. From there, he galloped home clear from Mossy Fen Park and Doctor Elvis was six lengths further back in third.

Townend said: “He put it to bed very quickly I thought. A massive jump at the last showed there was a bit in the tank and I just had to keep him up to his work.”

Mullins added: “He was very impressive and there is a lot of improvement in him.”

THE Noel Meade-trained Idas Boy (7/1) broke the Elliott/Mullins duopoly when Sam Ewing partnered the nine-year-old Gigginstown Stud-owned gelding to win the Ryans Cleaning Handicap Chase over a two miles and six furlongs. Elliott, second and third, and Mullins fourth, filled the next three places.

Life In The Park made the early running but the winner joined him and was going best before the home turn. After a brief duel with Mars Harper approaching the last, he took that obstacle with a length lead and kept on well to win by three lengths at the line.

Noel Meade said: “He was going to be a nice horse last year but had a setback and was out for the season.

“He was working well and was ready for a run. He’s in the Paddy Power at Christmas so we’ll have to see after that. Sam has a great pair of hands and is a very talented young lad.”

Ewing added: “He’s brilliant to jump in tight, loads of scope, travelled really well today and loved that ground.”

Impressive

There was a reverse in the opening 12-runner John Lynch Carpets 3-Y-O Maiden Hurdle when the Elliott-trained, Caldwell Construction-owned Mighty Bandit (3/1) ran out an impressive nine and a half-length winner from the favourite Lark In The Mornin (11/4) trained by Joseph O’Brien.

From the early crop of Order Of St George, he led at the last and ran on well, going well clear on the run-in to win readily.

Elliott said: “I’d say he’s a nice horse. We gave him two bits of work and he worked well and then he got light, so we’ve done nothing with him since.

“Jack said you’d have to be impressed with what you saw there. We’ll look at Christmas now with him.”

Jack Kennedy and Gordon Elliott combined again with the favourite in the Colm Quinn BMW Novice Handicap Hurdle over an extended two miles. Yeats Star (5/2 favourite) gave 10lb and a half-length beating to the strong-finishing Heliko Conti holding on in a driving finish to make it a combined treble on the card for trainer and rider.

The four-year-old gelding regained the lead inside the final furlong before seeing off strong-finishing Heliko Conti with Striking another half-length back in third.

Very tough

Gordon Elliott said: “He’s very tough and I thought Jack gave him a great ride. He held onto him to have one run. I thought we had a lot of weight, but it’s great that Bertie (Mannion, owner/breeder) is here. He has horses with us for a good while and it’s great to get a winner for him.”

The concluding bumper completed a terrific day for Cullentra and the Mervyn Gray Construction (Pro/Am) INH Flat Race was won by The Enabler as 8/11 favourite. The son of Walk In The Park had cost €200,000 at the Goffs Punchestown Sale after finishing second in his point and in a Thurles bumper.

This six-runner contest may not have been the strongest but he came home six and a half lengths clear of I Am Mimi. He was sent to the lead by Harry Swan off the home bend and kept on well. Elliott said: “He’s a grand, big, galloping horse and one that is going to improve a lot in time. He won’t race too much more this year.”