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Mark Nunan

Mark Nunan

Au Fleuron off the mark over hurdles

Sat 18th Dec 2021, 12:38

Au Fleuron and Davy Russell  Au Fleuron and Davy Russell
© Photo Healy Racing

Au Fleuron (7/2) put an-odds on defeat at this course last month firmly behind him when winning the four-year-old maiden hurdle.

Only fourth over 2m4f on that occasion, Davy Russell’s mount tracked pace-setter Ha D’or (7/2) throughout this two-miler and collared that rival in the final fifty yards to score by a length and a quarter.

It was a further seven and a half lengths back to the winner’s stablemate Enki Flacke (40/1) in third.

The 8/11 favourite Belle Metal could find no more from three out and finished a well-beaten fifth.

The winner had joined current connections for £220,000 after winning a point-to-pointers’ bumper at Tipperary in March for Denis Murphy.

“He’s a nice horse and he improved an awful lot from the first day," said winning trainer Gordon Elliott.

“I’d say he wants two and a half miles and we’ll find a winners-of-one somewhere.”

Quotes from Alan Magee

1st
7/2
Tote €5.94 €1.65
2nd
1.25L
7/2
€1.54
3rd
7.5L
40/1
€10.56
bf
hd
8/11Fav
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.