Ewing strikes oil again in Down Royal opener

Sam Ewing continued his good week when landing the opening Bluegrasshorsefeed.com Maiden Hurdle on 5/4 favourite Faulty

Ewing registered his first Cheltenham festival winner on outsider Stellar Story in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle on Friday and here his mount travelled powerfully and was handy throughout, going on after the second-last to beat promising newcomer Addragoole by a length and three quarters.

It was a deserved success for the Noel Meade-trained seven year-old who has suffered a fair amount of misfortune in his career to date.

The winner runs in the colours of Meade's Fred Winter winner Jeff Kidder, those of Albert Dravins and the executors of the late Eamonn Scanlon.

Meade said: "He's been unlucky, I think he's a fair horse to honest and I always have done. he has always found a way to get beaten.

"He just hasn't been straightforward. When he got that fall on the Flat in Punchestown, he was very sore after it and it took him a long, long time to come back.

"He's definitely a horse that should have won a bumper really. I hope he will go on and I'd say he would like a bit better ground. His jumping was much better, but he was still very strong.

"He looks like a chaser, but we will go one step at a time with him. I'm delighted to win a race with him. We'll go for a novice race somewhere and see how we get on.

"His owner (Albert Dravins) is in Melbourne, so hopefully he is watching on TV."

Quotes from Michael Graham