Rory leads home Bolger 1-2 in banks' race

Trainer Enda Bolger maintained his stranglehold on the banks' races at Punchestown today when registering a 1-2 in the Risk Of Thunder Chase winning with Love Rory whose rider Adrian Heskin was completing a double on the day.

Love Rory held the challenge of stablemate Make A Track on the run-in for a length and a half win, with six lengths back to heavily backed 5/4 favourite Big Shu

“It didn't trouble me going to the last (which of the first two would win)!” joked Bolger afterwards before adding “we'll take him (Love Rory) to Cheltenham next month.

“We definitely didn't want to take on that man (Balthazar King, winner of the Cross Country Chase at Cheltenham) yesterday as he wouldn't have been up to that, but it's a handicap there the next day.”

“The second horse (Make A Track) didn't turn well on the second last bend and that maybe cost him but the other lad was going away at the end.”

Bolger was himself instrumental in influencing leading owner Barry Connell's decision to hire Adrian Heskin as his retained rider and that rider was also recording a double today, having earlier steered Crafty Codger to win the opener.

By Thomas Weekes, quotes from Gary Carson