Extensio slams rivals in Tipperary Cup rout

Extensio has the look of a rapidly improving handicapper given the ease with which he saw off the opposition in the John O'Brien Memorial Tipperary Cup Handicap at Clonmel.

The Patrick O'Donnell trained gelding had finished runner-up on his last two starts on the flat but since then, he had made a very impressive hurdling debut when winning at Roscommon last month.

Always handily positioned under Joey Sheridan this evening, the six-year-old moved up to take over the lead from Vischio early in the straight before skipping clear under hands and heels to register an effortless two-and-a-quarter length win.

It was a fourth career win for the son of Xtension who had two previous wins on the level.

Patrick O'Donnell said: “I’ve hit on a good horse. Up to the Curragh run, where the draw beat him, obviously, we always said we had a nice horse, but after that day we came home saying we have a good horse — and we have a good horse now.

“This has been a lucky horse to start with. You almost don’t want to believe you have your hands on a good horse because it’s so rare we get on them, but I think we have a good one here.

“Before he won in Roscommon, he was meant to go to Haydock with a view to the English Cesarewitch, but the ground turned up soft and we had to cancel that. Where I might go with him is to the Cesarewitch Trial in Newmarket.

“Needless to say, several jockeys’ agents were on the phone to me, but Joey Sheridan has been helping me all spring — I’ve been meeting him once a week — so I certainly wasn’t going to (go elsewhere). It was just a misfortune he couldn’t ride him earlier in the season, as he was injured. But I’m delighted to give Joey a winner. It was a nice team effort.”

Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes.