Usa jumps to the front at the last under Barry Geraghty© Photo Healy Racing
Barry Geraghty was seen at his confident best as Usa took the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel Handicap Hurdle in effortless fashion at Clonmel.
Geraghty hardly moved a muscle as the Stephen Mahon-trained gelding crept into contention on the outer early in the straight.
The 6/1 chance jumped to the front at the last, and Geraghty still sat motionless as his mount cruised clear to beat the well-backed 4/1 favourite Never A Secret by four and a quarter lengths. King High (16/1) was another length and three quarters adrift in third, with Alf Wright (12/1) completing the placings in fourth.
Mahon said, “I thought he was a horse who wanted good ground but he’s after winning twice on soft now. He came back from Ballinrobe the last day with ringworm and I just thought he ran a bit flat there.
"He’s a nice fun horse and he’s savage over fences. We will see what the handicapper does with him now but he will obviously go to Galway, whether or not it’s the Galway Hurdle remains to be seen.
"Tom Quinn who is from Galway is a great supporter of mine and he’s here today. I have twenty-eight horses in and I have a nice setup in Kilcolgan, Co Galway."
Additional reporting by Donal Murphy
