Top Of The Charts and Conor McNamara lead over the last© Photo Healy Racing
Gavin Cromwell and Conor McNamara completed a quickfire double at Clonmel as Top Of The Charts landed the odds in the Lisronagh Opportunity Handicap Hurdle.
The five-year-old gelding only joined the Meath handler earlier this year, and has really struck form in the past seven weeks scoring four times.
He carried a 5lb penalty here for a win at Down Royal last Friday, and relished this three miles trip when staying on strongly in the straight.
McNamara’s mount jumped right at the final two flights but it made little difference as he kept on well for a two and a half lengths winning margin. Global Racing kept on one paced to make it a 1-2 for Cromwell, while Alohamora finished strongly to be just a head back in third. Peaches And Cream initiated the Cromwell/McNamara double half-an-hour earlier when the 11/10 favourite took the New Inn Opportunity Rated Novice Hurdle.
Cromwell said, "It was Feidhlim Cunningham(race planner)'s plan to utilise the hurdles mark and these were the only two races that you could go in again under a penalty. So it has been the plan for a while.
"He will have another little break now and that's four wins from five for him and he wasn't an expensive purchase. He is only a five-year-old and I think he'll be a lovely horse next year.
"He ran a good solid race in the Blazers when he missed the second last. I don't think he'll go on bottomless winter ground."
(TW & AM)
