Emily Blazes a trail in opener

Anything Does the business on debut

Antimatter on top after dramatic finish

I gave him a bit of a squeak. He was working well, probably not as well as last season but he’s ten now and not getting any quicker. It’s Daniel’s first ride for me and I told him to jump him off handy and make plenty of use of him. He doesn’t have too many gears but he can stay at it. The owner doesn’t want to go over fences so we’ll look for something similar. I have 12 in at the moment between the track and point-to-points, and some nice three-year-olds.

Cody hits the headlines with Razoul

I thought he’d run real well but he was 7lb wrong at the weights which I thought was going to be a big ask of him. I didn’t want to claim off him because Donagh Meyler rode him on his last two runs and gets on real well with him. He gave him a brilliant ride. He jumped and travelled all the way today, and I thought bar a mistake he was going to win turning in. He came travelling well and found loads. I had it in my head that he could be a Galway Hurdle horse next year. I thought he was a lot better than he was showing on the track. He got a nice break after his maiden hurdle win and I think we’ll go for one of those big pots off a light weight. He’s a well handicapped horse on the Flat but he’d no interest, and is a different horse with a hurdle in front of him. He loves jumping, and I think he’ll go on any ground. He loved that ease today. I only took out a licence at the back end of last year, and that’s my fourth winner. I have 12 and am happy to do it in a small way. My nephew Ray and myself and my wife Gillian look after them so it’s a family operation.

Depth gives Brouder another Listowel winner

Kevin gave him a grand ride. We were hopeful enough. He seems to be improving a bit and he’s definitely settling better. It’s his first time in a handicap but I’m not sure if he’s going to be a soft ground horse so we might not have that much more racing to do with him this year if the ground changes. Kevin said it’s sticky enough ground over the far side.

Djingle comes good in style

He came from France and had great form over there but lost his way a bit at Paul Nicholls. I think the set-up of a big yard didn’t really suit him, and Max McNeill and his racing manager Ian Turner decided to send him over here and it’s worked wonders for the horse. He was low at one or two but that’s just the French way of jumping. He was very good over the last two when I was able to keep a hold of him. He can be hard on himself as he’s quite keen but he jumped spectacularly today which was a big help to him. Adrian is a real horseman. It’s the first horse that Max McNeill has had in Ireland so I’m delighted to have his first winner here.

Pimpernel makes off with finale

He ran a cracker on his first race at Leopardstown and the form has worked out well. He might go for a winners’ bumper if the ground stays nice as he’s not a real winter horse. He did nothing wrong in his two runs and we brought him back from the Cheltenham Sales as we weren’t getting what we thought for him. We gave him a break and were aiming him for Galway but he just wasn’t right. He’s turned the corner in the last few weeks, and it’s great for Fergal O’Neill of Direct Bloodstock who has a lot of horses with us.