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Mark Nunan

Mark Nunan

An O'Brien-trained winner from Piltown, but it's David on the scoresheet

Thu 15th Aug 2019, 17:59

Cusp Of Carabelli (green and white) and Sean Flanagan win at Tramore.Cusp Of Carabelli (green and white) and Sean Flanagan win at Tramore.
© Photo Healy Racing

Cusp of Carabelli (6/1, as big as 14s in the morning) made a winning chase debut for David O’Brien and Sean Flanagan in the Pat Woodbyrne Memorial Beginners’ Chase at Tramore.

He was produced to lead after jumping the last of seventeen fences and ran on to defeat the front-running Father Jed (25/1) and the somewhat unlucky 11/4 favourite Dasmyhoss (badly hampered by a faller around the halfway stage) by a length and a quarter and the same.

The winner won his maiden hurdle at the same track last October, and may quickly return again as the winning trainer David O’Brien explained: "I'm delighted with that. Sean came down and schooled him yesterday and he was very happy with him.

"If he is alright he will probably run again tomorrow in the handicap hurdle. It is only a short journey and the lads (the owners) are local.

"The ground stayed right for him, he likes the good ground. What can you say about Sean around here.

"It was a race that was suitable being for horses rated 0-109 over hurdles. If he was ever going to win a beginners this was it. You cut out a lot of the top grade in it. Hopefully he will win another one.

"I have two here tomorrow and then Double Windsor on Sunday, which is also my birthday. Everyone else is going to the match but I've to come here!"

Additional reporting by Donal Murphy

About Mark Nunan
Mark has followed racing since he was a teenager and worked for many years as a broadcaster with the Irish version of Racecall. He joined the Press Association in 2019 and is also a contributor to the Racing Post. A native of Kildare, he now lives in Sligo.