Much Acclaimed looks a horse with a bright future after winning a competitive renewal of the Lartigue Hurdle over two miles at Listowel.
The feature race on the card, worth almost 30,000 euro to the winner, produced a tremendous finish with Much Acclaimed, Walden Prince and Boxer Beat all in a line jumping the last.
Paddy Mangan got John Morrison’s four-year-old gelding up with hands and heels to win by a length-and-a-quarter at odds of 5/1, having been 7/1 in the morning.
Walden Prince (10) pipped Boxer Beat (16/1) for second by a neck.
Winning trainer and owner John Morrison said: “I only have three or four in training and being in a small yard suits him. If he was in a big yard he would have been shot! He is very highly strung and a box walker.
“He runs around the stable at 100 miles per hour if the stable door is closed, but we leave the door open and he can walk around the yard.
“We’ll try not to be too hard on him as a four-year-old. He jumps great and longterm could be an Arkle chase horse.
“He’s much better now than he was at Galway [won a flat handicap over one mile-and-a-half] where his preparation was rushed.” Louisville Lip was sent off the 9/4 favourite for Pat Flynn and Tony McCoy, but he faded into eighth.
Michael Graham
