McManus/Geraghty/O'Brien on the mark again

Champion Owner J.P. McManus successfully combined with trainer Joseph O’Brien and jockey Barry Geraghty for a second Killarney win in two days when their Tesseract (5/2) landed the opening Larkins Pub & Restaurant Milltown Novice Hurdle at Killarney today.

The trio were successful with long odds-on Oathkeeper at the venue yesterday and today scored with Tesseract, which overcame a final flight mistake before holding the late challenge of Hudson’s Bay by a neck.

O’Brien wasn’t present and after the race McManus’ racing manager Frank Berry stated “that was nice to get it out of the way and he jumped reasonably well and likes that good ground. He learned from Bellewstown and is getting the hang of the jumping.

“He’s more a summer horse than winter horse and we’ll see what’s down the road in the next few weeks, after Galway.”

Beaten 9/10 favourite Penhill which trailed in last, was later reported by his rider Ruby Walsh to have burst a blood vessel.

By Tom Weekes