A trip over the Irish Sea is on the cards for Newbay Prop after his victory in the Christmas Cracker Handicap Hurdle at Navan.

Tony Martin's gelding, winner of the valuable Paddy Power Chase last Christmas, took advantage of a lower mark over hurdles but he is set to go back over the bigger obstacles.

Unusually for one from this yard the winner drifted from 7-4 out to 3-1 but he was still favourite.

"The race worked out lucky enough in the end. We will probably bypass Christmas," said Martin.

"There is a lovely race in Warwick in January coming up over three miles and five furlongs (Classic Chase) that we might go for or maybe the Thyestes in Gowran Park at the end of January."

Jim Dreaper, who has a live chance in the Welsh National with Notre Pere in a few days, warmed up for that with a win for Retrievethelegend (7-1) in the "Prancer And Dancer" Handicap Chase.

Dreaper said: "It's great that he won here today, he's been a very genuine horse. He's such a small horse and that's why we raced him on the outside to give him some chance with the heavy ground. We have no set plan for him yet."

There will be a good Christmas at Colm Murphy's yard after Kimberlite King landed some hefty bets as the 9-4 favourite in the 2009 Navan Membership Maiden Hurdle.

"You can't have the ground soft enough for this lad, we'll probably go for a winners-of-one now, when he brushes up his jumping he'll make a lovely horse," said Murphy.

Mervyn Torrens' Quartetto won the Santa Claus Maiden Hurdle.

"I'm delighted with that, I'll probably step him up in trip and go for a Graded race next. He was entitled to win here today and he appears to love the heavy ground," said Torrens.

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