Tiger hangs on after blunder

Eyes Of A Tiger gave odds-on punters a serious scare as he just got home after a final flight blunder in the opening Laganore Maiden Hurdle at Clonmel.

Ruby Walsh had the well backed 10/11 favourite (9/4 this morning) prominent throughout and looked in control as he moved a couple of lengths clear turning for home.

The other gamble of the race, Hatch Hall gave chased going to the last but looked booked for second until Eyes Of A Tiger got things wrong.

Hatch Hall, backed from 12/1 this morning and returned 5/1, strongly pressed the hotpot on the run-in and just failed by short-head at the line.

The Pat Fahy-trained winner, a point-to-point graduate, was making his first start over hurdles having been third in two bumpers.

"It's hard to do it the first time (over hurdles) in front but that's job done now," said Fahy.

"I thought an awful lot of him going for his first point to point as he had schooled so well with good horses over fences. He went around the parade ring like he was twenty years of age though and showed no interest.

"He works like a good horse but it has taken him a while to get the hang of things. It also looks a good thing for the future that he was able to recover from the mistake and then climb the hill."

(Quotes by Thomas Weekes)