Lanturn in control

Another National fell to a Carberry yesterday but this time it was the £70,000 Kerry version and 18-year-old Philip Carberry …

Another National fell to a Carberry yesterday but this time it was the £70,000 Kerry version and 18-year-old Philip Carberry who took the glory on board Lanturn.

The Aintree Grand National fell to Paul Carberry in April but he was out of luck yesterday on Dorans Pride who nevertheless ran an honourable fourth under 12st on the rain soaked ground.

Instead it was Carberry's younger brother who secured only his 11th success but by far his biggest.

"These Nationals come easy to the Carberrys," grinned Lanturn's trainer Pat Hughes who has brought Lanturn back from disappointment in the Galway Plate.

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After taking it up from the free running joint favourite Siberian Gale before the fifth last, Carberry's only anxious moment came at the last fence which Lanturn ploughed through.

"He jumped really well apart from that," reported Carberry who sat tight and Lanturn ran out a 15-length winner from the luckless Lucky Town with Siberian Gale third. The other joint favourite Function Dream never figured and was found to be suffering from colic.

Michael Hourigan was pleased with Dorans Pride's effort and said: "It was a lot of weight to give away on tacky ground. We will look at the Cesarewitch but it may come too soon."

The Michael Smurfit colours were twice carried to victory on Dermot Weld-trained horses. Creux Noir took the mile handicap under a powerful Pat Smullen drive and Musical Mayhem overcame the ground to land the conditions hurdle from Frozen Groom.

Trebizond was bought to ultimately go jumping in the US but Tom Taaffe will be keen to keep him in the short term after the colt fought off Go For Grace in the opener. "His new owner Bill Lickle has been the champion owner in America and Trebizond will go there at some point," said Taaffe.

Sackville may not have run for almost a year but he justified market confidence with a smooth success in the maiden hurdle.

However, his heavily backed stable companion Native Titan gave his supporters no run in the bumper. He shied backwards when the tape fell and unseated Philip Fenton. The race was won by Sly Empress.

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor is the racing correspondent of The Irish Times. He also writes the Tipping Point column