TOUCH Me Not (8/1) outjumped his rivals to lead home a 1-2 for Gordon Elliott in the Grade 2 BetVictor Craddockstown Novice Chase.

Sam Ewing led from an early stage, the Gigginstown-owned gelding jumping from fence to fence and, after being ridden clear from the last, was eased down to beat the favourite Farren Glory by six lengths. Nurburgring finished another two and a quarter lengths back in third for Joseph O’Brien.

“I was worried about the ground,” Elliott later admitted. “It was a good performance and he came on plenty from the last day. Sam gave him a great ride and we’ve had a great couple of days.”

Touch Me Not was bought by Elliott for £150,000 after his sole start for Tom Ellis, in which he looked a clear winner before falling at the last. He took four tries to win his maiden hurdle, but shaped like a talented chaser when narrowly denied by Fascile Mode at the same track last month, the pair nine lengths clear of the field.

Elliott noted: “To be honest, he was very keen at home as a young horse and he wasn’t showing me anything. He’s come a long way in six months.”

Plans remain fluid, the trainer added: “He probably won’t be easy placed. Obviously, the race in Leopardstown isn’t there any more, and I’m not sure 2m3f in Limerick would suit. We’ll get him home and see how he is.”

A horse for next year

Elliott and Gigginstown have another exciting prospect on their hands in the shape of Kalypso’chance, who bolted up by 15 lengths in the concluding BetVictor Graduation Bonus Series bumper.

The French-bred Masked Marvel gelding was bought by Elliott for £85,000 after impressing on debut for Jack Teal and Roger Marley. That saw him sent off the 9/4 favourite on rules debut, with Willie Mullins’s half-brother to State Man, Soir De Garde, and Arthur Moore’s Land Rover Bumper fifth W B Easy next in the betting.

Despite the presence of what looked like promising prospects, Elliott said: “I wouldn’t say that was the strongest race in the world,” after Harry Swan steered his charge to an effortless victory.

“He looks a nice horse,” Elliott continued. “He’s a big stayer for next year, hopefully. He showed a good attitude, you’d like the way he dropped his head and galloped to the line.”

Name to note

The Big Westerner (4/1) also shaped like a smart prospect, after beating well-regarded geldings in the I.N.H. Stallion Owners EBF Maiden Hurdle.

A debut winner of a point-to-point for Matthew Flynn O’Connor, the half-sister to Stay Away Fay sold for £120,000 to Peter Molony’s Rathmore Stud, who also purchased Honeysuckle after her point success.

Now trained by Henry de Bromhead for the Mariga family, she raced prominently under Darragh O’Keeffe and led before the final flight. She was ridden out on the run-in to beat Argento Boy (11/10F) by a length, with another nine lengths back to the third.

“She looks a really nice mare,” de Bromhead said. “She jumped great, travelled well and Darragh was great on her.

“We’ve some lovely young horses. We’d hoped we had coming into the season and felt we bought well, but you never know.”

MOUSE Morris’s Franciscan Rock (12/1) gained a deserved return to winning ways in the Pertemps Network Group Handicap Hurdle (Qualifier).

The Michael and John O’Flynn-owned bay was winless since getting off the mark last February, having placed in a Grade 1 and finished fifth in the Coral Cup in the interim.

Leading from two out under Gavin Brouder, he was forced to dig deep as a host of rivals challenged on the run-in, and prevailed to win by half a length from Karl Des Tourelles.

“The horses have been running well for the last couple of months,” Morris noted. “It’s nice to get a winner for the O’Flynns, who have been with me for years.

“They enjoy slagging me - I charge extra for slagging,” he added with a smile. His charge now qualifies for the Pertemps Final at Cheltenham, on which Morris commented: “It’s a long way from here ‘til March.”

Cromwell Cheltenham-bound

An earlier trip to Prestbury Park is on the cards for Stumptown (3/1), after the Gavin Cromwell-trained seven-year-old made all to win the Colm Quinn BMW Risk Of Thunder Chase under Keith Donoghue.

The Furze Bush Syndicate-owned gelding was last seen winning another banks race at the track’s main festival, while his previous four wins included a chase at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day.

“He really enjoyed it, I can’t believe how well he’s taken to it,” Cromwell commented, before confirming that a cross-country race at Cheltenham in December is next on the agenda.

“I don’t know much about it, but Keith knows everything about it and says it’s very different. We’ll get him around Cheltenham first and plan from there.”

Sweet success

A home-bred winner is always special, but even more so if you train it, stand the sire and ride it each morning yourself. That’s the case of Denis Hickey’s Sonny May (4/1), who defied an eight-pound rise for his maiden win, when landing the Sherry Fitzgerald Brady O’Flaherty Supporting Longford GAA Novice Handicap Hurdle.

The son of Hickey’s Garryrichard Stud sire Hillstar was last off the bridle, with Sean O’Keeffe waiting until the final flight to make his move, the chesnut running on under hands and heels to win by two and three-quarter lengths.

“He was good,” Hickey said. “He’s a seven-year-old with a bit of age now, he’s stronger. I’ve only two horses in training and I ride him myself most days.”

A novice hurdle over the Christmas period is next on the cards for the winner.