Saint Sam © Photo Healy Racing
The 9/4 favourite Saint Sam registered a first Graded success in the BoyleSports An Riocht Steeplechase.
The six-year-old tracked the leaders and from four out Paul Townend’s mount had Effernock Fizz in his sights. He went past that gallant front-runner two out and was untroubled from there to defeat her by four and a quarter lengths with the pair well clear of the remainder.
It was a third chase win from six starts over fences for Saint Sam.
Winning trainer Willie Mullins said: “He’s just so well in himself but the biggest thing I got from today was the fact that he settled so well over the first mile. Maybe the penny is beginning to drop with him.
"He needs to learn how to race over a trip because he’s bred to race over a trip and that’s what I want him to do. We tried it one day over hurdles at Navan and he just ran away with Paul. Fortunately, today he didn’t run away with him until after the winning post!
"If I could find races like that for him, for the foreseeable future, I’d like to do that. You’d think the way he got two and a half miles there and the way he looked after the winning post, he might be a Galway Plate horse, but maybe his handicap mark is blown there. I’ll look around for conditions races.
“He jumps very well, he loves jumping, and I think if he learns to settle more, he’ll be better again, he’ll improve away as he goes up in trip.
“He’s just learning how to race and he needs to learn a bit more. I thought he could make a Grade 1 horse over hurdles but he’s his own worse enemy — too strong for his own good.
“I’m sure he’ll get an entry in the Galway Plate. It might be easier to settle him in a Galway Plate the pace they will be going but it might drive him mad as well. It could risk upsetting him again.
“He’s only six and should have a good future in front of him.
“His owners (Edward and Mary Ware) have come over from Gibraltar. It’s their first time in Killarney and I think they will be back again.”
Quotes from Alan Magee
