RACING:Call The Police was made to pull out all the stops by Foildubh in a thrilling climax to the Beamish Stout Phil Sweeney Memorial Chase at Thurles yesterday.
Second to Last Instalment in last season’s Dr PJ Moriarty Novice Chase and third in the RSA Chase at Cheltenham, Call The Police was the 2 to 7 favourite to get off the mark for the campaign having found only Hidden Cyclone too strong on his return to action at Gowran Park.
The Willie Mullins-trained 10-year-old went to the front heading down the back straight under Ruby Walsh, but was being tracked all the while by Paul Carberry aboard Foildubh. The pair turned into the straight well clear of the rest and it was only after the final obstacle that Call The Police sealed victory, finding a little more for pressure to win by half a length.
Mullins said: “It was worth missing Christmas for this. We had it in our minds to come for this race as it was a nice prize.
“We’ll keep him to between two and two and a half miles. He could go further but I don’t really want to at the moment.”
Winning debut
It was a double on the card for the champion trainer, who had also saddled Briar Hill in the concluding bumper. The Shantou gelding pulled away stylishly in the closing stages to make a winning track debut.
Briar Hill won a point-to-point at Necarne last May and the second that day franked that form recently when winning a hurdle at Wetherby last month.
The Graham Wylie purchase was sent off a 1 to 5 shot here and the result never really looked in doubt. Patrick Mullins had his mount at the head of affairs throughout and he went on from The Gotfor Man, who had disputed, turning for home.
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