Alan Magee
Samcro completes bumper treble for Elliott
Samcro and Lisa O'Neill
© Photo Healy Racing
Samcro completed a notable bumper treble on the day for trainer Gordon Elliott when taking the Ryans Cleaning Event Specialists Flat Race at Fairyhouse in runaway fashion.
Elliott, whose champion trainer title hopes were given a significant boost with the valuable prize-money boost of Bless The Wings rsquo; second in the Boylesports Irish National, was also on the mark in both bumpers at Cork with Double Portrait and Lackaneen Leader
Samcro, a point-to-point winner at Monksgrange last year and also successful in bumpers at Punchestown and Navan, has always been held in high regard by the Longwood trainer and this performance did nothing to dispel such confidence.
He cruised to the front early in the straight for Lisa O’Neill, and soon stretched clear eventually winning by 17 lengths. Cluan Dara took the runner-up spot, with the pace-setting Product Of Love four and a half lengths further back in third.
Samcro brings up an across the card hat-trick of bumper wins for @gelliott_racing, winning two at Cork and the last at @Fairyhouse: pic.twitter.com/1UbNOTN7Td
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) April 17, 2017
Elliott said, “He’s a proper horse, and would have done more in a bit of work than he did there. He could go for the Champion Bumper in Punchestown all being well. We have plenty of other horses for it but he will definitely get an entry.
“He was asleep the whole way and Lisa said when she gave him a squeeze over two furlongs out it was like he had just jumped in.
“We’ll see what the ground is like at Punchestown but he’s a good horse. I would have said he is a two and a half mile plus horse down the line but he doesn’t look slow.”