Chess Grand Master moves to the polytrack with aplomb

Joseph O'Brien sent out a record amount of winners for the calendar year at Dundalk in 2018 and he extended his lead at the top of the Winter All Weather series when Chess Grand Master (9s out to 12/1) won the opening Racing TV Maiden.

Favourite Black Noah (evens) did too much from the front and eventually faded into seventh, whilst Wayne Lordan's patient approach paid dividends on the successful Rugby & Racing Syndicate-owned Galileo gelding.

Denis Hogan 's stable debutant With A Start ran very well but he had to yield by half a length to Chess Grand Master. Cj Cregg (10s into 5s) was the gamble of the contest, and he had every chance before eventually finishing two lengths back in third.

A bumper winner at Sligo in August 2017, Chess Grand Master had run only once previously on the Flat and this was his initial effort on the polytrack.

“He's won well. I don't know how strong of a maiden it was but he's a bumper winner so he had some bit of ability,” said Lordan.

“He handled the surface well and got to the line well.

“Joseph said that he was a smashing horse, very straight-forward. He just said 'keep in the back of your mind that he hasn't run in a long time'.

“It probably wasn't the strongest race but we went a good even gallop which was going to play into my hands because he stays very well. He's a grand horse going forward.”

For the Winter All Weather 2018/19 it's now Joseph O'Brien at the top on 11, 3 ahead of nearest pursuer Michael Halford on 8.

At the request of the Stewards, G.F. Carroll, rider of Black Noah (GB), trained by Gordon Elliott, reported to the Stewards' Secretaries that his mount ran too keen.

(GC & EM)