Bois De Clamart takes full advantage of lower hurdles mark

Bois De Clamart exploited a hurdle rating some 13lbs lower than his revised chase mark, when running out an easy winner of the Grade B BARONERACING.COM Easter Handicap Hurdle at Cork.

Liz Doyle's eight-year-old, had been successful over fences at Gowran Park last month and reverted to hurdles off a lenient mark.

With the testing ground really suiting the French bred gelding, he arrived absolutely tanking on the run down to the second last hurdle and from there it was just a matter of negotiating the final two obstacles. Happy Jacky stayed on well to take second for the Ray Hackett stable, with Bread And Butter fading to finish third.

Winning trainer Liz Doyle said; "I had thought about running him in a handicap chase at Punchestown but I don't know if he jumps well enough on good ground so I have been following the weather, with hurdles and chases.

"I told Richie 'do not come off the left-hand rail' and he was excellent. It saved four or five lengths and you really have to go wide at Cork when it gets chewed.

"There is no point in saying 'I hope the handicapper won't be too hard on us' but if we were going to lose our novice hurdle status, we might as well do it today with this pot. He was won three E40,000 races for us this year and has been a great horse.

"He doesn't get too high over his fences but he might jump well around a Topham (Chase at Aintree) where they only have to flick through them a bit and don't have to get too high.

"He has great owners, one is in America, one is a Yorkshireman and I'm really pleased for them."