Wise Old Owl avoids all the grief Wise Old Owl finally delivered after a sequence of three second placings when he landed a grief-stricken Kevin McManus Beginners Steeplechase under Mark Walsh at Listowel. Ruby Walsh's mount, the long-absent Uncle Junior made a mistake four out but he came there with his chance in the straight. However the victorious favourite pulled out enough to see off that aforementioned rival by a length and a quarter. Winning trainer John Kiely said of the J P McManus-owned victor: "He has just been unlucky. All the horses (Kilmurry, Gonebeyondrecall and Glenstal Abbey) that he was second to have gone on to win since. He deserved his turn and maybe he was lucky today with all the fallers. He'll make a nice handicapper and he'd prefer better ground." Mark Walsh commented: "I'm delighted and he deserved that. He is game and battled well when he heard Ruby's horse coming to him. He is a clever horse which helped him avoid all the trouble."
