Kinturk Kalanisi (right) and Kieren Buckley© Photo Healy Racing
Kinturk Kalanisi continued a good afternoon for favourite backers at Navan when confirming the promise of some placed efforts in staying maidens by taking the Navan Maiden Hurdle.
The Tom Gibney-trained gelding made virtually all in this extended 2m6f event but was strongly pressed by Born Braver approaching the last.
The well-backed 5/4 favourite, available at 2/1 earlier in the day, kept on well under Kieren Buckley on the run-in to beat that rival by two lengths with Last Round a further six lengths away in third.
Gibney said, "He's been as solid as a rock. It's brilliant for John and Sabrina (Daly), it's their first horse with me.
“Jim (Melia) and Sean and Kathleen who bred him had him with me to point-to-point and sell. We couldn't get a decent price for him in England and I said I'd get them a few pound back home so I was delighted for them.
“We think he'll make a nice chaser in time, we've thought that all along. He jumps really well and it's great to pick up a hurdle race on the way.
“The small field and having to do the donkey work was far from ideal for him. He's much better having somebody taking him along. It's just the way it panned out.
"He could go for the three-mile handicap hurdle at Fairyhouse over Easter."
Quotes by Gary Carson
