Jack backed and delivers

Once the market indicated a fancy for handicap chase debutant Jack The Wire he was going to be hard to beat off a 168 day break in race four at Tipperary. So it turned out for the 9/4 favourite in the Packie Downey Memorial Handicap Chase.

The Scorpion gelding, trained and ridden by Denis Hogan, and also owned by the family, beat Magnetic Force more easily than the two and three parts of a length margin would suggest.

"I was a bit anxious early on as he got under the first two fences and he was very rusty," said Hogan. 

"It was his first handicap chase and they went hell for leather, for the grade, the whole way, and I was on my head and didn't travel for the first circuit.

"The last three were the only three he jumped and that should put him right. Just his class got him through.

"He's in a tricky place at Galway as there are only three handicap chases and maybe the one on the Sunday might be for him."

N.P. Madden, rider of Shake The Bucket trained by Niall Madden, reported to the Clerk of Scales that his mount did not travel as well as usual and may need a longer trip.

P. Townend, rider of She's Everything trained by S.J.Mahon, reported to the Clerk of Scales that his mount never travelled and jumped badly throughout.

C.D. Maxwell, rider of Banker Burke trained by J.Larkin, reported to the Clerk of Scales that his mount cut out very quickly going down the back straight.

(TW & EM)