Ballychorus and Adrian Heskin© Photo Healy Racing
Ballychorus gained compensation for a couple of final fence falls in high profile handicaps and in the process earned a trip to Cheltenham next month when taking the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Novice Chase at Thurles.
The daughter of King’s Theatre fell when in front at the last in the Troytown at Navan in November, and the following month was again well in contention at the last when falling in the Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown.
However there were no such problems here, although Emcon did try to put it up to the 2/5 favourite on the final circuit of this three-mile event.
Ballychorus asserted to go about two lengths up before the last, and Adrian Heskin could sit quietly on the run-in as she drew clear to score by nine lengths. Corporate Box 7/1 but available at over twice those odds in the morning, could never land a blow and Ger Fox did well to keep the partnership intact after a blunder at the last. She finished a further nine lengths back in third.
Winning trainer Mags Mullins said, "I'm delighted with the clear round and she was good. It's great to get her confidence back as they don't always come back from falls.
"We're thinking of the four miler at Cheltenham and she deserves a shot at it now. I also think she'll be much better on better ground and loved the summer ground last year. She was always going well today."
(TW & AM)
