Macs Joy lights up festival's final day

Racing/Leopardstown Festival Fourth Day report: Macs Joy sparked some legitimate Champion Hurdle dreams at Leopardstown yesterday and at the same time lit up an otherwise dreary holiday campaign for trainer Jessica Harrington.

A bad scope denied Moscow Flyer the chance to run on Monday and the way some of his stable companions have been running in recent days it was probably a good thing.

But it was plain bad luck rather than anything medical that made the Harrington-trained Carrigeen Victor fall at the second last when holding a big chance half an hour before the Bewley's Hotels December Festival Hurdle.

In the main event, however, there was a fluency to Macs Joy that made his three-length defeat of Brave Inca, with the current champion Hardy Eustace two lengths further back in third, resound with authority.

It was certainly enough for some firms to go as low as 6 to 1 joint second favourite for the Champion Hurdle behind the market leader Harchibald, who beat Macs Joy in the Morgiana in November.

"That race came too soon after he won in the North but today he was always travelling. The faster they went the better he was," said Harrington.

Solerina set the sort of pace that meant Macs Joy was very good indeed and, as she gave best to Hardy Eustace after the third last, there was no denying that Barry Geraghty was travelling the best on Macs Joy.

"He jumps like a stag and is a deadly little horse," said the champion jockey. "He's a real hurdler and a real two-miler."

Despite being under pressure from almost halfway, it was Brave Inca that ran on best of the rest and his trainer Colm Murphy declared: "I'm over the moon. He finished extremely well and is improving all the time. I'm looking forward to the AIG."

A return to Leopardstown at the end of January is also an option for Macs Joy since yesterday's Grade One triumph is likely to have an impact on his rating for the Tote Gold Trophy at Newbury in February.

"A lot will depend on what the handicapper does but I don't think it will be good news," grinned Harrington.

"My horses have been a little under the weather and I've been walking on egg-shells," she added. "When the horse in the first capsized at the second last it showed that when things go bad, they really go bad."

She dismissed the view that the inside track yesterday may have had an influence on the result and said: "I presume they still go two miles."

It's a different sort of two miles that Hardy Eustace needs to show his best according to trainer Dessie Hughes.

"His best form is on good ground on a galloping track and that was soft ground on a sharp track. He'll go for the AIG. There's no reason why he shouldn't," he said. "He didn't sparkle today. He should have run on but he found nothing and I'm disappointed."

Not surprisingly, the bookies were unanimous in lengthening the price on Hardy Eustace repeating at Cheltenham in March although the first five in the betting for the Champion Hurdle remain Irish trained.

Merdeka won't be at Cheltenham but after his impressive bumper success yesterday, trainer Tom Taaffe declared: "That's as big a thrill for me as winning the King George.

"He's a high-class athlete and he has a very bright future. But don't be surprised if you don't see him until October-November when he starts hurdling," added Taaffe. " He's almost 17 hands and has a lot maturing to do so he definitely won't be going to Cheltenham - this season."

Paul Carberry has had a holiday period to remember for all the right seasons and the in-form jockey continued his hot streak with a 105-1 treble kicked off by Strong Project in the Beginners Chase.

Strong Project was always holding the favourite Beechcourt in the final half mile to provide Charlie Swan with his fifth winner of the Christmas period.

"I was worried about his jumping before he ran at Navan but Paul must have frightened him into jumping great," said Swan. "He has broken down three times but still goes on any ground."

Carndale took advantage of a last-fence error by Tristernagh to win the handicap chase and give Noel Meade a boost after a disappointing Tuesday here.

"All those horses (including Mark The Man) scoped wrong afterwards," Meade reported. "But it shows how hard it is sometimes because they all scoped fine on Christmas Eve and the bumper horse (County Final) scoped fine the day before."

Almier was the middle-leg of the Carberry treble, defying top weight in the handicap hurdle to beat the favourite Victram by two lengths.

Estival Park is one of just two horses trained by Donal Kinsella near Bellewstown and he provided his owner-trainer with a second success of 2004 by easily winning the Opportunity Hurdle.

"Our last winner was on St Patrick's Day," explained Kinsella.

* The final day of the Christmas festival brought a crowd of 11,309 to Leopardstown which brought the total attendance for the four days to 63,219. That was a 2,140 increase on 2003.

Bookmaker turnover yesterday reached 1,544,662 which was marginally up on the 2003 figure and brought the four-day total to 7,379,638.

It included 384,189 bet on yesterday's featured hurdle. There was an almost €100,000 increase in Tote turnover for Leopardstown's final day which brought the total to €444,272.

It brought the total for the four days on the Tote to €2,242,495.