Cast A Spell and Cian Quirke© Photo Healy Racing
Tom Hogan’s Cast A Spell (12/1) shocked €500,000 purchase Qualmita (30/100f) in winning Navan’s Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Maiden Hurdle today, as the trainer's homebred credited him with a first jumps success in three years.
Out of Hogan’s Galileo-sired four-time winner Blackwitch Woman, Cast A Spell had previously won a Killarney Flat maiden in October and while she attained a Listed-placing over hurdles at Cork a fortnight ago, held a rating of just 105 for today’s race.
Today’s favourite Qualmita had been purchased for big money following her impressive point-to-point debut last April and today travelled well, for much. While the ‘jolly’ led at the final flight, she was under pressure at that point with Cast A Spell, under Cian Quirke, flying home to edge ahead close home, scoring by two lengths.
Hogan, trainer of Gordon Lord Byron and whose biggest jumps win came in the 2008 County Hurdle with Silver Jaro, stated “it took a long time to get Cast A Spell’s act together jumping: she got brought down one day schooling in Thurles and didn't forget it for a long time.
"The last day at Cork, she was actually heavily in season when she got her black-type and we didn't know until afterwards. We knew that she was a lot better mare than at Cork. She was faultless there today and she has the talent.
"She always runs with the handbrake a bit half-on, so there is a lot more there than she gives. I found those type of horses will always win plenty of races: she might not win every day, but will win more nice races.
“I only have a couple of horses so it is great to get a race like this, in a place like this, at a festival like this. We will keep an eye on other festivals now.”
Quotes from Michael Graham
