SMART staying chaser Minella Crooner got his season off to the best possible start in the rescheduled M.W. Hickey Memorial Chase, keeping on best in a listed event that was diminished somewhat by two non-runners, a disappointing favourite and a costly mistake at the last from the runner-up.

The Gordon Elliott-trained winner, who was last seen pulling up in the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham, had looked a useful recruit to fences when beating subsequent Irish Grand National winner I Am Maximus on his chasing bow last winter.

Sent off at 4/1 here under Jack Kennedy, he showed plenty of grit to outpoint Joyeux Machin, who lost momentum when getting in tight to the final fence and was ultimately only held by half a length.

Bronn was sent off the 8/15 favourite for Willie Mullins but dropped away tamely to finish a distant last of the four runners, later found to have struck into his left fore pastern. Useful stayers Churchstonewarrior and Idas Boy were non-runners on the day.

Kennedy, in the colours of Ktda Racing, Nick Courtney and Cillian Moran, said: “He’s going to come on plenty for that as he had a good blow. I’m very happy with him. He was kind of always holding him [the runner-up], and the jump at the last really sealed it.

“That’s the one thing about him, he can spend a little bit of time in the air but you can always trust him and when you need a big one, you can go for it. It was probably the jump at the last that won it for him. Today was the best he ever travelled. I was surprised with how he travelled; he was very sweet with me.”

Pink impresses

Mollys Mango in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Hurdle would have looked the Cullentra team’s best chance heading into the card but that 5/4 favourite failed to catch fire, pulling up after being headed on the approach to the straight, having earlier done well to survive an error.

This left the stage clear for the Donie Murphy-trained Double Pink (12/1) who took full advantage under Brian Hayes for owner Claudine Corrigan, easily pulling 11 lengths clear of Good As Hell.

Murphy said: “She was just beaten on the nod at Tipperary last time. I was a bit worried about the ground here. She isn’t the easiest of rides but Brian settled her well and it was probably the winning of the race. I don’t really have any plan for her, she might go to Leopardstown at Christmas.”

IT was a memorable afternoon for amateur rider Danny Fitzgerald, who partnered his first winner in the opening Wexford Racing Members Supporters Club Maiden Hurdle on Glorytogod Tom - a six-year-old owned and bred by his grandfather Joseph and trained by the rider’s father Martin.

The breakthrough victory came aboard the 22/1 shot in a gripping finish, prevailing by just a nose from the Andy Slattery-trained Slim Marvel.

The winning trainer said: “That’s Danny’s first winner on the track and just his second ride against professionals. He’s 18 and is in a good school with Liam Burke. He comes home to me then around midday.

“He is very tall but his weight is after stabling in the last year or two. He is lighter now than he was when he was 16. He rides away in point-to-points every Sunday and had three winners point-to-pointing.

“This horse had a very good run at Cork last spring and had very good horses in front of him. Fences will probably bring out the best in him, but he will stay hurdling this season.”

Sport a name to note

There was a likely useful winner of the other maiden hurdle on the card, the two-and-a-half-mile BoyleSports Maiden Hurdle, as easy-to-back 10/1 chance Sportinthepark made a winning hurdles debut for Noel Meade and owner Phil Polly.

A €170,000 purchase after finishing second on his sole start between the flags for Matthew Flynn O’Connor last April, the Walk In The Park gelding had finished a reasonable fifth in a Galway bumper as 9/4 favourite 20 days earlier.

This was an improved display, however, on his switch to hurdles in the hands of Sam Ewing, pulling two and three quarters of a length clear of Iceberg Theory.

“He loved the ground and the step up to two and a half miles helped him a lot,” said Ewing.

“The hood was taken off him today and we weren’t going much of a gallop early so I let him go on in front. He jumped, has been very grown up and stayed at it well.

“For a four-year-old to do what he did on that type of ground, you’d be happy enough. It looked like he jumped very well in his point-to-point and it stood to him today.”

A TOUGH afternoon for favourite backers continued in the two-mile I.N.H. Stallion Owners EBF Beginners Chase when the Willie Mullins-trained market leader Henn See (13/8) was reeled in on the run in by The King Of Prs, trained by Gavin Cromwell.

Sean Flanagan, sporting the colours of Damien Dillon, timed his challenge nicely on the 8/1 shot, who landed with momentum on his side after the last. They asserted to score by a length.

“He did it well and is a very nice horse,” said Flanagan. “He won well enough the last day and it just seems like he is getting into gear. He jumps a fence really, really well.

“I probably could have done with being a place or two further back early on but he jumped the first two fences so well that he ended up putting me a bit more forward than I wanted to be. He is well bred by Jerry Russell, who is here to keep an eye on things.”

Baune battles

The card concluded with two divisions of the two-mile Kehoe Farming Handicap Hurdle, with the first claimed by the Philip Fenton-trained Jeriko De Baune, who had fired a warning shot last time when fifth at Galway. The four-year-old, owned by the Crohane Town & Country Syndicate, has been kept on the go through the summer and stayed on well to strike by three and a quarter lengths under Niall Moore at 9/2.

Fenton said: “He was the only four-year-old in the line-up and the 7lb claim off of his back was a big help. He had a couple of okay runs, nothing too exciting. He doesn’t give up and you’d love his attitude.”

Hayes double

The Bowe family colours were successful in the second division when Kiln Time - out of multiple graded winner Sweet Kiln - went one place better than his previous second at Fairyhouse under Brian Hayes, completing a double for the rider.

A seven-year-old owned by John Bowe and trained by Michael Bowe, he remains an unexposed sort who could go in again.

“That was fantasic and all credit goes to Brian,” said the winning owner.

“He encouraged us to run here as we weren’t sure about the track. He wants a stamina test, three miles and heavy ground. Everything Sweet Kiln has bred has won. There are a few more coming along but the mare has passed away now.”