Limestone Lad merits growing reputation

We all remember Danoli - "the people's champion" - but we now have a new star on the domestic front, Limestone Lad. This time last year he had two bumpers, a Clonmel maiden hurdle and a two-mile Naas handicap hurdle under his belt but on Saturday at Navan, he brought his career earnings to just under £160,000 when slamming the well-regarded Le Coudray.

Just two weeks ago, he captured the scalp of another Aidan O'Brien inmate, champion hurdler Istabraq, with a bold front-running display under five-pound claimer Shane McGovern and he again reaped the rewards of similar tactics when running the odds-on shot into submission in the two-and-a-half-mile hurdle on very testing ground.

After coming home some 20 lengths clear of the 4 to 9 market leader, his veteran permit holder owner James Bowe was simply overjoyed: "He's as strong as a lion, a super horse. He could race every day, on any ground".

On future plans, he was hesitant to commit himself, "I'll have to take a look on paper, but make no mistake you'll see plenty more of him as he just loves racing."

Twenty-two-year-old rider Shane McGovern, who has built up a rewarding association with the remarkable seven-year-old, remarked: "It's a dream come true for me to be on board this horse and I'll never sit up on one better than him, that's for sure."

The Beginners Chase over two miles and six furlongs was, to say the least, incident packed, with Arthur Moore, who saddled the fortuitous winner Bit On The Hide, summing up the debacle as "quite amazing".

Noel Meade's Sallies Girl was the first of the market principals to depart when crashing out at the sixth fence before Jim Dreaper's warm favourite Saxophone blundered at the third last and unshipped rider Shay Barry.

Their exit left 3 to 1 chance To Your Honour and Fran Flood nearly a furlong clear approaching the penultimate obstacle. It seemed the contest was as good as over.

With his stride beginning to shorten, he veered left here but still managed to climb over. Then, much to the amazement of the Navan faithful, he refused at the last leaving the 20 to 1 shot Bit On The Hide to sweep through.