Dreal Deal (left) flies one of the early hurdles under Maxine O'Sullivan© Photo Healy Racing
The WhatOddsPaddy Handicap Hurdle saw 2/9 favourite Dreal Deal complete a five-timer of wins across both codes with another facile win under Maxine O’Sullivan.
Just as she had done at Punchestown on Wednesday, O’Sullivan rode the Arvico gelding with loads of confidence and he made smooth headway from early in the straight to lead between the final two flights.
He wasn’t in any way extended to beat Charlie Siringo (12/1) by five and a half lengths.
The winner’s sequence of wins began when a well-backed winner of a handicap hurdle at Navan in September, and he switched back to the Flat in the middle of last month to win twice in four days at Limerick and here at Cork.
He was raised an extraordinary 28lbs for his win at Punchestown but was able to race under just a mandatory 5lb penalty on this occasion.
Winning owner/trainer Ronan McNally, who also achieved a five-timer of wins with The Trigger earlier in the year, said of his new stable star: "I was a small bit worried coming here so quick and ideally if he wasn't going up so much I wouldn't have ran.
"He has won five now and we can look forward to going to some of the better races and I couldn't be happier.
"I think two miles could be his best trip because if you are able to gallop all over horses over 1m2f and make them look slow, surely two mile is your trip. He stays, gallops, jumps, the ground and trip didn't matter, and he does seem to be a nice horse.
"When he initially had him, he looked a nice horse but lost his way with aspergillus and we had a crap year last year and hadn't a winner but everything is clicking into gear now.
"I wouldn't rule out running him in a Grade 1 at Christmas but I want to give him a break now and he is going for six week's rest. He is in a Pertemps Qualifier at Newbury on Thursday but we won't go - you people will be glad to hear that!"
He added "I haven't made a secret that I'd love to see JP McManus come on board the yard and a horse like him would be ideal. To train for JP McManus would be a dream and if the right money and the right owner came along, I'd consider selling him to stay in the yard."
Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes
