Giant's Quest (left) and Captain Arceus battle out the finish to feature at Bellewstown © Photo Healy Racing
Ruby Walsh (doubling up after taking the second on Blackmail got Giant’s Quest up close home to win the feature race at Bellewstown this evening, the Bellewstown On Course Bookmakers Mullacurry Cup Handicap Hurdle, for trainer Harry Rogers.
The quick ground specialist was heavily backed on-course, and having opened at 4/1 last night with Paddy Power, he went from 5/2 to 7/4 clear favourite on-course.
Entering the straight it was between three, with Caim Hill just leading from Captain Arceus in the centre while Giant’s Quest was on the outer.
As they raced towards the last, Caim Hill dropped to third as the aforementioned duo battled for the lead.
Captain Arceus was marginally in front after the last but the victorious seven-year-old son of Giant's Causeway showed the battling qualities of his father, as he dug deep close home to score by three parts of a length.
Top-weight Captain Arceus (8/1) lost little in defeat, as he finished a brave second under Barry Geraghty for Dessie Hughes, while Caim Hill (16/1), who won this race last year, ran a cracker to finish third, two and three parts of a length back, under Brian O’Connell for Philip Fenton.
The winner was recording his fifth career success this evening, and after scoring over two miles on the level at Leopardstown last time out, he was stepping up in trip to a mile and a half for just the second time in his career.
Harry Rogers, who trained nearby in Ardee, Co Louth, said afterwards: "I wasn’t worried about the step up in trip, and I think he’ll probably go further.
"It’s a good track and it’s great to win here. I rode a winner here for Noel Meade.
"He will mix it between the flat and jumps now. He is a ground dependant horse, he wants good ground. The better the ground, the better he is.
"He is a horse that there could be more in.
"He might go to Leopardstown now if the ground is right."
Additional reporting by Michael Graham
