Ambitious Fellow survives last flight scare to resume winning ways

Ambitious Fellow overcame a mistake at the final flight before getting up close home to land the Allman Contracts Novice Hurdle at Listowel.

Brought down at Galway last time, the Peter Fahey-trained gelding had previously won a three-runner race at Roscommon.

Held up by Sam Ewing early doors, as Lieutenant Highway blazed the trail, the gelding moved menacingly into third on the approach to the last. However, he almost lost his chance at that point, as a less than satisfactory jump put him on the back foot.

To his credit, the Fame And Glory gelding quickly recovered his momentum and battled on bravely to head favourite Nos Na Gaoithe on the line.

Fahey, who had four winners at the Galway festival, said "he has great form and we were unlucky in Galway as the rain came when he was the one horse I thought would win!

"From Punchestown time we were thinking about Galway but the ground went soft and he was brought down, when Sam (Ewing) thought he was only getting going. He had a lovely run around under Darren Harris, who works in the yard, when finishing third in the Corinthian Challenge the other day."

He added "even though he won at Punchestown, he is a novice in the UK for the season and might go to the Cheltenham meeting in November for a novice hurdle which (stablemate) Peregrine Run won. He has plenty experience and 2m5f would suit him.

"Once the ground goes soft he will get a break."

Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes