Red House Hill makes winning bumper debut

Laetitia was a useful mare winning five times for Charles Byrnes and her first produce, Red House Hill scored on debut for the same connections in the bumper at Down Royal.

The gelded son of Ad Valorem, owned and bred by Mary Hayes, travelled well throughout under Davy O’Leary but had to work hard for victory under pressure inside the final furlong.

The 6/1 chance found enough to beat Railway Rule by half a length, with Ange d’Or Javilex the same distance back in third.

Byrnes said, “He's a chip off the old block. He's only 15'2 but he's tough like his mother and he'll make a nice hurdle horse.

“He's so tough and he stays really well. He won a schooling bumper at Limerick but we weren't sure how good it was.

“He loves that ground, and his mother loved it as well. She won a Grade 3 and was a right mare.”

Additional reporting by Gary Carson