Paul Hourigan celebrated his 17th birthday in winning style at Cork on Wednesday when he partnered Runabout to win the featured O'Callaghan Hotel Handicap Hurdle. Hourigan, son of Patrickswell handler Michael, was recording his 34th success under both codes aboard Andrew McNamara's gelding, and the Kilmallock handler certainly has his string in fine fettle these days.
"Our last 10 runners have finished in the frame, including two winners, so they're not running too badly," he said. McNamara added: "He will get three miles, so we will run him next on Ladbroke day at Leopardstown in the S M Morris Handicap Hurdle over that trip, along with our Limerick Christmas winner, Glin Castle."
Cloughjordan handler Willie Austin, breeder of Danoli, saddled his half-brother Lafontd'or to win a below-average opening maiden hurdle.
"It's a long time before he gets a contest as bad as that," remarked Austin after Charlie Swan edged the 6 to 4 favourite to the front over the penultimate flight before staying on well to hold The Singing Lord by a length.
Swan was later successful aboard Aidan O'Brien's Castle Coin after the pair collared frontrunning Miller King and Barry Cash at the last in the BCD Engineering Handicap Chase.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)