Leading owners Bective Stud’s registered a first graded success with a homebred horse today, as The Yellow Clay (8/11f) continued trainer Gordon Elliott’s excellent weekend in Navan’s Grade 3 John Lynch Carpets & Flooring Monksfield Novice Hurdle.

The Yellow Clay provided prominent purchasers Noel and Valerie Moran (of Bective Stud) with a first ‘home grown’ success in March 2023 - before finishing sixth in last March’s Cheltenham Bumper and, today, followed-up a nine-lengths maiden hurdle win with a ten-lengths graded success.

Travelling well under champion jockey Jack Kennedy, The Yellow Clay was lying third when making a mistake at the second-last flight but quickly improved to challenge, leading at the last before finishing well to easily defeat Where’s My Jet.

Elliott, who had five winners at the Meath course yesterday, was winning today’s race for the seventh time in nine years and reported “he's a nice horse and has always done everything well at home.

“I loved the way when he made the mistake at the second last, he (Kennedy) squeezed him and he let him back on to the bridle: I’d say he is a nice horse. I thought it was a good performance, he quickened away from them. He has a great attitude and a great way of racing, he is so laid-back.

"You'd imagine we would go to the Lawlor's now (Grade 1 at Naas in January).”

Bookmakers later cut The Yellow Clay to 12/1 generally for the Albert Bartlett Novice Hurdle at Cheltenham in March.

Quotes from Michael Graham