Well-backed Little Brother wins for Nash and Brouder

The opening J.J. Burke Car Sales 3-y-o Maiden Hurdle went to Little Brother (9/2, from 12s this morning) who always had a nice position just tracking the leaders in the hands of Kevin Brouder (third winner in six days).

The Gale Force Ten gelding jumped the last upsides 7/4 favourite Calidus Mirabilis and went on rounding the home turn to beat that one by a length and a half, with Perry Owens very much catching the eye on hurdling debut by flashing home for third just another head away.

The winner had scored over 1m4f on the level at Sligo last month and, with headgear on for the first time in this code, he turned around form from his hurdling debut at Roscommon where he had finished well behind the market leader.

Winning trainer James Nash said: “I fancied him in Roscommon but no matter how much schooling you do it’s the first day jumping and they come on a lot for the experience.

“We had an awful lot of schooling done. He might have got a fright early at Roscommon and didn’t jump as well as I thought he would.

“Today he jumped great. Maybe the cheek-pieces helped as well of course.

“He was a cheap horse and he’s put a hurdle with his Flat win so how bad.”

Additional reporting by Eamonn Murphy