'He gave him a star of a ride,' summed up Ronnie O'Leary after eight-times champion Charlie Swan exuded class when forging Aldino past front-running Well Ridden in the closing stages of the Horse & Jockey Novice Hurdle at Thurles yesterday.
'We'll give Liverpool a shot now because the track will suit and he'll have better ground which we think is better for him ,' said the Clare handler after the well supported 9 to 4 chance showed a tidy turn of foot after the final flight to land the spoils.
Course specialist Coco Opera defied top-weight in gallant fashion when powering home under regular pilot Gerry Kilfeather in the Devils Bit Handicap Hurdle.
'I went to the soccer Ireland match in Lansdowne Road last night and told a Czech lad to back her today. He had broken english but I hope he understood me,' said Kilfeather, after notching up his 43rd career success. ' She's won here four times this season and will come back again in a fortnight for a race over two-and-a-quarter miles.'
Kieran Gaule, who was forced to stand himself down for the rest of the day after Nuit Saint tragically came to grief at the fifth last flight, missed out on a success later when Navan rider Paddy Stringer deputised on Gillys Hope to record a facile success for Dromineer owner-trainer Tony Seymour.
Tom Hogan's Irregular Planting, stable-companion of the ill-fated Nuit Saint, looked all over a winner when coming down to the penultimate fence in the novice chase. However, the complexion of the race changed here when he crashed out leaving the tiring Streamstown in front.
But there was more drama to come as he then blundered at the last leaving the Paddy Mullins-trained market leader Storm Ten and Jason Titley to come home a very fortuitous eight length winner.
Edward O'Grady, successful with Wright in the opener, nominated the valuable Nas Na Riogh Novice Chase over two-and-a-half miles at Naas tomorrow for his charge Go Roger Go.
'I also had him entered in the two miler there but we've decided to go for the longer race instead,' said the Ballynonty trainer.
Pat Malone oozed confidence aboard Frank Lacy's Nosalil to head front-running Andrea Cova on the run down to the last in the Beginners Chase while Camden West deservedly opened his account for Eamonn Sheehy when landing the second division of the maiden hurdle under Philip Fenton.
BF
