Mark Nunan
Final Orders another for in-form Torrens
Final Orders and Simon Torrens lead eventual third Union Park over the last
© Photo Healy Racing
The Dan & May Arnold Memorial Opportunity Handicap Hurdle saw Final Orders (7/1) win for the first time on his sixth start over flights.
It was a 19th winner of the campaign for 5lb claimer Simon Torrens who’s enjoying his best season to date.
The winner hit the front before two out and kept on well to score by a length and a half from Handsworth (11s into 6/1) with Union Park (25/1) in third. The 10/3 favourite Clody Valley was pulled up.
A nicely-bred son of Camelot, the winning 4-year-old had shown some potential on the Flat for Simon Crisford before joining present connections last year for £14,000.
Winning trainer Garvan Donnelly said: "He has been threatening to do that. I thought the way the race was being run that it would suit him. They went a good gallop and he came from off the pace.
"He showed us enough at home to suggest there was races to be won with him. He will mix it between the flat and jumping now. He is young and he is game. The last day (sixth at Gowran) things just didn't work out and we put a line through that.
"I wasn't sure about the ground today but he handled it anyway. I'd say he wouldn't want really deep ground being by Camelot, but Simon (Torrens) said he handled it well enough.
"I have him in on Thursday at Clonmel in an 80 to 95 and we'll see whether we run him or not. He is owned by a good bunch of lads (C M D Syndicate) from Carlow, Meath and Dublin."
Additional reporting by Donal Murphy