RACING:AS A MULTIPLE former champion trainer, Noel Meade's ability to identify talent is well-proven and he didn't equivocate when forecasting a big future for yesterday's big-race winner at Naas, Monksland.
The five-year-old brought his racecourse record to three from three with an ultra-smooth defeat of Lyreen Legend and Dedigout in the Grade Two Slaney Novice Hurdle but it was Meade’s verdict on the performance that was particularly noteworthy.
“He’s very good, very good,” he stressed. “We thought he’d win and it went exactly to plan. He has done everything right, jumps well and the two-and-a-half mile novice (the Neptune) at Cheltenham is the race we are looking at. He’s very easy to get fit so he might not run again before that.”
Paddy Power reacted by quoting a 25 to 1 Neptune price for a horse who, like Gold Cup winner Long Run, sports ear-plugs.
“He was quite a nervous horse but seems to be getting more relaxed and he settled very well there,” Meade noted.
Cheltenham prices were also floating about after Flemenstar beat off the favourite Lambro following a good battle up the straight for the two-mile novice chase. Peter Casey’s horse was cut to 20 to 1 for the Arkle but an increase in trip could be on the cards come festival time.
“We’ll go to Leopardstown (Arkle) and then he’ll want a bit further,” said Casey who also didn’t bother to try to disguise his regard for Flemenstar.
“It’s good to have a horse like him, once in a lifetime,” he said. “He did it well. When the other horse came to him he picked up again. And the ground was desperate; he wouldn’t like that.”
The Lambro team of Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh had better fortune in the two-and-a-half mile maiden hurdle as the diminutive Hats And Heels made a comfortable winning debut over jumps.
“She’s well able to jump, whatever about her size, and seems to have plenty of ability,” Mullins said. “I’ll look at mares races for her but given her size I might look at open races too where she would get the mares allowance.”
However it was the Mullins bumper winner Un Atout who really caught the eye when easily landing 2 to 7 odds on his debut.
“He looks a racehorse,” said Mullins who won’t target the Gigginstown runner at Cheltenham this year. “We’ll try and win another bumper, I’d like to win two, and then put him away to go novice hurdling next season. He’s a cool customer, very relaxed.”
Denis Hogan trained and rode Luke’s Benefit to notch a fourth win of the season in the handicap chase, the grey having to be driven out to beat off Uncle Tom Cobley and the favourite Moville.
“He was probably all out. They weren’t going as quick as I thought they would so I let him stride on. He likes to dictate things. We’ll see what the handicapper does with him but two miles is his trip,” said Hogan.
Sportsmaster justified 2 to 5 odds when making most to land the opening four-year-old hurdle. Edward O’Grady’s charge had to be shaken up by Mark Walsh to hold off Hisaabaat by a length.
