Going - Good To Yielding, Yielding In Places. Overcast
Jackpot Pool - 16,914.14 Dividend - 11,839.90 Winning Units - 1. Placepot Pool - 64,305.67 Dividend - 150.10 Winning Units - 299.74. Pick Six Pool - 85,808.67 Not Won. Carried forward to No Course on Sunday 11th December. Days Aggregate - 446,242.00 Last Year 370,462.00
Land passes biggest test so far
It was a good performance. They kind of sprinted down over the last two. He had to be right and Barry gave him a great ride. It was his biggest test so far,. We'd have to think about Christmas now. It will be one step at a time with him but you'd be delighted with today. The faster they go for him the better he'll be you'd imagine. I was delighted with that and Barry was delighted. He jumped better today, he was a bit more measured. Barry said he was a bit big at the first but other than that he was a bit better. Please god each race that is getting better. It looked a good race and there was plenty of word for Gordon's horse (Mega Fortune). It's probably as good a three-year-old hurdle as has been run in Ireland anyway.
Improving Beach now a Grade 1 queen
She jumped really well compared to my other two. Plan A worked for her anyway,. We planned to jump off up there and take the race by the scruff of the neck, which she did, and she's a mare that keeps improving. I never dreamt that she'd be a Grade One mare. It's an extraordinary result for her and for Supreme Racing. She's a fantastic jumper and gallops all day.
Jade and Cooper are Hatton's Grace heros
I met three or four people coming in racing today and they were maybe slating me for running her. I'm in a lucky position to be training for the lads (Gigginstown House Stud) and they left it up to me,. I weighed her this morning and she was actually heavier than she was going to Newcastle last week so I said we'll let her take her chance and I'm delighted it worked out. I was under no pressure but it's great when it works out. I had a good chat with (journalist) Ryan McElligott last night and he said 'if it worked it worked and if it didn't it didn't.' We took the chance and it's great. We were learning a bit about her to be honest. To run in the Fighting Fifth last week and coming back here this week is a testament to how good a mare she is. The mares hurdle in Cheltenham will be her Gold Cup. There are a couple of races at the start of February for her. She won't go to Christmas. She'll have one run before Cheltenham all being well. Saying that she might run next week!
Camp crashes out as Waxies takes the win
It's nice to be lucky an odd time. I've always thought he wanted softer ground but when a melee happens you're lucky to be there,. He ran over two-five at Cheltenham so two-and-a-half is no problem to him. He'll run in similar races, that's what he has been doing, and it's nice to get one like that. I'm sure he'll run in the Coral.ie Hurdle. He ran in the English Ladbroke last year so whether he goes there or not I don't know. He didn't run particularly well that day but he was fourth in the Greatwood and fourth in the Coral Cup so he's been knocking on the door. He deserved to win a race like that even if it is by default.
Island makes big splash in Drinmore
He was very good. I didn't think he deserved to be 20/1 even though he'd only had the one run over fences and hadn't won,. On ratings he hadn't a lot to find accept against A Toi Phil. He deserved his place in it. . We had to go that way or the beginners and decided that because he wanted a better pace in the beginners at Punchestown why not come here to the smaller field. He can always go back for a beginners. Luckily we came out on top. He travelled and jumped great. He won like a proper horse and I hope he is a proper horse for me, and for JP, but mainly for me!. If he comes out of it well we'll look at Christmas which is only three weeks. Either that or leave him off to the good novice in Leopardstown (PJ Moriarty). It would be the three-mile race at Christmas. We'll see how he comes out of it. He has a lot of toe. He won well in his maiden over two last Christmas. We decided to take a chance upping for the novice handicap here over three and he revelled in it. He ran a blinder and you might have said he was a touch unlucky in the Grade One at Punchestown. We had a Grade One horse so treated him as such and he proved it today. It was obvious that Barry (Geraghty) would ride Anibale Fly today as he's won. I can't blame Barry for that even though he loves this horse and he was one of his horses to look forward to for the year.
Gold gets a deserved big win
I thought on the way down from Ballyhack we were in a bit of trouble. He does hit a flat spot throughout his races and I thought 'this is it - but I hope he finds something.' Then he got a good jump at the next one,. We stuck him in a good handicap hurdle at Leopardstown last year, put Chris on to claim a few pounds off, and he delivered there in the Pertemps. He's always knocking on the door. He could do with having another gear like a lot of the horses!. We don't know where we go from here. He has an entry in the Paddy Power at Christmas. We'll take it one day at a time. It would be in the back of our heads to come back here at Easter. The trip is ideal for him. Ground-wise he is very versatile but he loves that ground there. I said to Chris going out this is his perfect ground and if he can't win on this ground today he'll never win.
This Bird is fast