Great performance by Oak in Tipp opener The John Nicholson trained mare Great Oak under Mark Enright got the better of 1-2 favourite False Economy in the opening race at Tipperary this afternoon, the Packie Downey Memorial Chase. The 6yo daughter of Dushyantor led into the straight and fended off the challenge of False Economy & Ruby Walsh on the run-in to score by a length and a quarter. Sent off at 5/1, the winner has improved significantly since going chasing and after winning her beginners chase on her second attempt at Wexford in June she ran well to finish a close second to Raptor on her last start again at Wexford. Her trainer John Nicholson said afterwards: "She carries me around every day so she must be a good horse. "My gallops were washed away with the weather so we depended a lot on Michelle Gannon’s gallops. "She takes her racing well and jumps fences better than she jumped hurdles. "We have an excuse to go to Galway now and she will go for the 2m 6f race or 2m 1f condtions race. "She will probably go for the latter as I’m not sure she would get 2m 6f." Out Now & Uncle Tom Cobley were earlier taken out due to unfavourable ground conditions.
