McNiff eyes bigger pots for Adimelo

Adimelo and Derek Fox served up a 14/1 surprise in the extended three mile one beginners' chase at Wexford.

He got the better of Ah Littleluck (11/4) between the last two fences and finished strongly to win by four and a half lengths. Cotton Jenny was some 20 lengths adrift in third at 9/2.

Mark McNiff said: "I got too wrapped up in running him in rated novices because I was looking for a softer option. He had a great run in Thurles over two mile six and I'd say if the ground had any way dried, Paddy (Kennedy) thought he would have won on him that day.

"In Kilbeggan if he had jumped the last he might have got back up. I then stupidly decided we'd go to Clonmel over two miles because it was a rated one. I thought he might have got away with it because he was placed over a mile and two on the level.

"He ran in the French champion bumper and was an expensive horse coming here originally. We will look at some of the better handicap chases over a trip now. We were probably being a bit too negative with him, we kept waiting on ground and he was probably in longer than he needed to be before his first run.

"It was grand to win today and he did it well anyway. I'd rather bring him to a flatter track than Galway, somewhere with an easy finish.

"It's a pity the owners aren't here. They are in Mexico and New York at the minute and are from Draperstown, Co Derry. They are all good friends of mine. I bought this horse out of a claimer at Naas and recommended him highly. It's taken a while to win with him."

This was another uncle/nephew trainer/jockey winning combination following on from Patrick and William Cronin in the third race on the card.

Additional reporting by Donal Murphy