Court Cave goes back-to-back under McGill

The 7/2 favourite Court Cave was a second Northern-trained winner of the evening at Down Royal as he landed the Kerry Foods Handicap Hurdle.

Having got his head in front for the first time at Perth last month, the six-year-old raced towards the head of the main body of the field as Clever Currency established a clear lead.

The latter's advantage was gradually eroded and the winner went second two out under Oran McGill. The winner jumped to the front at the last where Clever Currency made a mistake and he was ridden out to beat the latter by two-and-a-quarter lengths.

Noel Kelly, based in Draperstown Co Derry,  trains the winner for the TSM Racing Syndicate and remarked: "A lovely stamp of a horse."

"He gave us a lot of trouble earlier on in life but he has grown up a wee bit now, he's a fine type of a horse.

"We might step him up in trip a bit.

"Bar McBurney's horse (Invictus World) and JP's horse (Realism), it wouldn't be the strongest race in the world. The horse that was fancied (Wee Charlie) was pulled out earlier today.

"He came there travelling and he won it alright. He was second here on Boxing Day, he seems to like this course.

"I'd say he wants a wee bit of cut in the ground - if the rain hadn't come, we probably wouldn't have run him.

"For a small yard, we are doing alright." 

Quotes from Michael Graham