A huge gamble was landed at Navan today as the Ronan McNally owned and trained Dreal Deal overcame dreadful form and a near-disastrous early mistake to win the opening division of the Baroneracing-sponsored handicap hurdle in a common canter.

Dreal Deal had been placed on both his point-to-point starts in March and May 2019 but since then had been beaten a cumulative total of 509 lengths in 11 racecourse outings, four of which were on the flat.

He thus carried form-figures of '0000-8800000' and opened a 20/1 chance yesterday evening and was a 14/1 chance this morning. The five year old was heavily backed throughout the day and was returned the strong 6/4 favourite.

The race was also eventful as Dreal Deal and his jockey Eoin O'Brien (the horse's rider in point-to-points) blundered very badly at the first, almost unseating O'Brien, whose balance was briefly on a knife-edge.

Dreal Deal jumped in the manner of a chaser thereafter but travelled like the winner and in the end won apologising by six and a half lengths from Myladyrose

Two of RacingTV's British based panel were taken aback by the happenings and with chuckling puffed-cheeks, speculated that the winner had “four stone” in hand.

Armagh based McNally runs his Krafty Kitchens & Bedrooms as his principal business and in 2019 complained he was “being treated like a criminal'”by the BHA.

Then the Southwell stewards interviewed him over riding-instructions for The Jam Man who later won, and then proceeded to win his next three races. McNally has also trained The Trigger to win five consecutive races this year.

To his credit, trainer McNally today gave an in-depth interview and, with some understatement, began “that was good.”

He added “I spent a lot of money on him after he was second in a point-to-point. He went to the Cheltenham sales but was unsold and I bought him privately.

“On his first run in a maiden hurdle here he was beaten about 30 lengths and I thought that was a great run in a winter maiden. He then ran in Down Royal against Envoi Allen and we tried to go with him. It punctured him and he never showed any form after that, whether that proved too hard of a race.

“The horses probably went out of form coming around Cheltenham time, with aspergillus and stuff.

“I thought I had been sold a dud to be honest but thankfully now he's starting to show something and that was nice.

“Hopefully he can go on and be competitive in handicaps, we are chuffed.”

Regarding the actual race, he said “we had a scare at the first where he nearly unshipped the rider. Eoin did brilliantly and gave him a very confident ride.

“I gave him a few spins on the Flat to give him confidence because we seemed to sicken him last year.

“Coming off the point-to-point field Willie (Mullins) gives them a year off and I see why now.

“They are trained hard to run in four-year-old point-to-points and I probably should have given him time off to mature.

“Maybe the time through lockdown and different things has helped and maybe things are falling into place for him.

“He also been racing more on winter ground and that ground seems to suit him. He has a Flat pedigree.”

McNally concluded with some wishful thinking, saying “hopefully the handicapper is not too hard on him and he can go and be competitive again.”

Quotes from Gary Carson