Salt Wind and Paddy Kennedy© Photo Healy Racing
Salt Wind bounced back from a Thurles fall last time to take the Boomerang.ie Maiden Hurdle at Fairyhouse for the Kennedy brothers, trainer Mike and jockey Paddy.
In the Oscar Delta colours (cruelly denied Cheltenham Foxhunters glory in 2013) of Karen O’Driscoll, Salt Wind convincingly accounted for Part Time Farmer by four and a half lengths.
The 9/4 market leader was supplementing a point-to-point success and the winning handler said: “It's well deserved for the horse as he's been fairly consistent all season.
“The better ground today helped him. We knew all along he wasn't in love with the ground so we were glad to see it come good and he did it well.
“He's a nice horse and we've always thought plenty of him.
“I'd say they were good horses that beat him in his bumpers. Even though he wouldn't be a proper bumper horse we thought he had a bit of class and might win one.
“He didn't but we're happy anyway that he won a maiden hurdle and we'll look forward to going over fences with him.
“Whether he'll run for the rest of the year I don't know and we'll speak to the owner Karen O'Driscoll. Fair play to her, she deserves a lot of credit, as there were a good few offers for the horse after he won his point-to-point and she held on to him.”
The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board Veterinary Officer examined Eden Flight (FR), trained by W.P. Mullins, at the request of the Stewards and reported the animal to be post race normal.
P. Townend, rider of Eden Flight (FR) trained by W.P. Mullins, reported to the Clerk of Scales that his mount never travelled and made a respiratory noise in running.
At the request of the Stewards, B. Hayes, rider of Blackstair Rocco trained by Emmet Mullins, reported to the Stewards' Secretaries that his mount disappointed the previous day at Limerick when struggling to finish. Today his mount ran keen to the first hurdle, settled well from thereon until cutting out after the fourth last hurdle when passed by two other runners. He added that he held his mount together from that point to ensure that he finished.
(GC & EM)
