Hypotenus makes winning start for Cromwell at Gowran Hypotenus made an immediate impact on his debut for trainer Gavin Cromwell when running out a ready winner of the opening Xenon Security Maiden Hurdle at Gowran Park. Formerly in the care of John McConnell, the three-time flat winner had made a hugely encouraging debut in this country back in February when runner-up in a Grade 3 juvenile hurdle at Fairyhouse. However, having being pulled up in the Triumph Hurdle on his second start, the Lope De Vega gelding then suffered an odds-on reversal at Cork on his reappearance in July. A mid-division finish at the Galway festival later that same month, saw owner Derek Kierans switch his charge to Cromwell, hoping that perhaps a change of scenery might spark a revival in fortunes. Well supported into 6/4f prior to his stable debut, the Keith Donoghue ridden gelding made just about all to run out a comfortable winner. In a race where less then a handful got involved, Hypotenus was tracked by Born In Purple for much of the contest but with the latter having no more to offer from two out, the Cromwell trained winner asserted on the run to the last. Gavin Cromwell, “I was hoping coming here that there would be a little bit of pace in the race and we might get to drop in a small bit but nobody wanted to make it so he made the decision at the start to keep it simple. “We have him since shortly after (his last run) Galway. “This was the plan for the moment and its nice to get his head in front. I hadn’t really thought beyond today.” Additional reporting by Alan Magee.
