Stage affair was all the rage in the ring before the Mitsubishi Novice Hurdle at Cork yesterday and the strong market support which sent his price tumbling from 2 to 5 to 1 to 5 was well and truly justified when Dermot Weld's charge scored with the minimum of fuss under David Evans.
A high-class performer on the flat and a winner on his debut over the smaller obstacles at Galway last month, the five-year-old gelding, owned in partnership by Robert Sinclair and Michael Smurfit, arrived full of running to head Brief Decline approaching the final flight.
Despite a slight mistake here, Evans hardly had to move a muscle on the run-in to win easily by nine lengths. "We still have to fine tune his jumping but David said they couldn't lead him. He'll be far better going a decent clip and we'll find another conditions race for him," said Mark Weld, son of the Rosewell House handler who was responsible later for the winner of the last race when Anthem Of Love and Pat Shanahan quickened away inside the final furlong. Twenty-eight-year-old Cyril Goodwin, who notched up 10 victories on the flat in the United States before returning to Castlegregory in Kerry 12 months ago, recorded his first win in Ireland when teaming up with Galbally Star in the Advance Maiden Hurdle. The winner, sent off at 8 to 1, was a welcome change of luck for trainer Edwina Finn, who last tasted success on New Year's Eve in 1997. A disappointing field of just four went to post for the EBF Nursery where victory went to Eddie Lynam's King Of Russia who made all in the hands of John Murtagh to defeat Flying Boat.
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