Loughran partners Flawless Escape to land opener

Flawless Escape justified good market support to take the opening Attheraces.com Maiden Hurdle at Leopardstown.

The Gordon Elliott-trained gelding, who won a bumper at Roscommon on heavy ground and beat all bar Burrows Saint when switched to hurdles at Punchestown last month, was available at 4/1 this morning and went off an 11/4 chance.

The 15-runner field was well bunched approaching the straight and, with the final hurdle omitted due to the low lying sun, it developed into something of a sprint over the final quarter mile.

Roger Loughran ’s mount found that but extra under pressure inside the final furlong to beat Jetez by a length, with uneasy 6/4 favourite Francin just a short-head away in third.

Elliott said, “He’s a fine big galloping horse and is a chaser for next year.”

Loughran said, "Tim (O'Driscoll, owner) and myself go back a long way. He is a happy man and he's a bit emotional there at the moment. I haven't had a thrill like that in a long time to ride a winner for someone like that.

“He's a big honest chaser. They hacked in front and I sat third or fourth the whole way. He jumped and he galloped and he won a shade cosy in the end. Gordon and the team did a great job with him and I'm very thankful.

“He made a novicey mistake first time over hurdles at Punchestown and it was the only one we were really racing at. I left him to his own devices and he just stood into it. I felt that day I would have took Ruby's horse off the bridle rather than the other way around. He had a tough race that day but it stood to him today.

“When I sat down on him to go on he galloped straight to the line whereas he was just a little bit babyish the last day.”

(GC & AM)