Navan report: Barry Geraghty was again the man to successfully tease out yesterday's William Hill Troytown Chase puzzle when partnering Cane Brake to a hugely impressive victory in Navan's €100,000 highlight.
What is usually one of the most competitive handicaps of the winter programme looked beforehand to have boiled down to a solo-show for the topweight, and 13 to 8 favourite, Southern Vic who was backed to the exclusion of almost everything else.
However, after racing prominently for much of the race, Southern Vic was beaten at the third last and trailed home in fifth as up ahead Cane Brake rediscovered his best form with a vengeance.
Geraghty had an armchair ride throughout and in the straight there was never any doubt but that Cane Brake would provide the former champion jockey with a Troytown follow up to last year's success on Prince Of Tara.
It was left to Kerryhead Windfarm to chase the winner home but Cane Brake was being eased down from some way out.
The seven-year-old was a Grade Two winning novice who beat the Grand National winner Numbersixvalverde at Galway when trained by David Wachman. But a move to Tom Taaffe during the summer rekindled Cane Brake's enthusiasm.
"I have to thank David. He recommended a move to us last summer and sometimes a change of scenery can do a lot of good," Taaffe said. "He ran well in his first race for us at Galway, even though a 5lb rise wasn't what I wanted, but this morning I looked at how he had beaten Numbersixvalverde a couple of years ago and decided we'd ride him the same way."
Taaffe added: "I don't have an iota where we will go now. The Paddy Power is the obvious one, followed by the Thyestes, but we will have to see what the handicapper does."
Geraghty had earlier ridden Lounaos to an impressive winning debut over flights in a juvenile hurdle performance that had Boylesports making the Eoin Griffin-trained filly their 14 to 1 favourite for the Triumph Hurdle.
"I haven't been as nervous in a while as I was worried about the ground and you never know how they will switch from the flat," said Griffin. "The Durkan at Christmas is a target but she is a tough, hardy customer and if she's okay, there's a chance we could run in the Grade Three at Fairyhouse at the weekend."
The Grade One Barry and Sandra Kelly Memorial Hurdle back at Navan in three week's time could see a mouth-watering clash between both Footy Facts and Aran Concerto, who both won impressively yesterday.
Ruby Walsh partnered Footy Facts to beat Casey Jones by nine lengths in the Grade Three Bank Of Ireland Monksfield Novice Hurdle and his west Cork trainer Robert Tyner immediately nominated another five-hour journey north from Kinsale next month.
Aran Concerto made up for an unlucky outing at Naas when sluicing up in the maiden hurdle and Noel Meade again emphasised his regard for the young star.
"He's an exceptional horse, he really is. He does things I've not seen done before. For a horse of his size, he has the speed of a miler and yet he will go three miles over fences. He's bred to be a plodder but he's anything but slow," the champion trainer said.
"He had a sore mouth the last day which might have caused him to jink," he added. "If he's okay, we will look at the Barry and Sandra Kelly race. He has to get experience. In time he will be a chaser but I don't see why he can't be a top novice hurdler."
Hearthstead Dream, a warm favourite for the handicap hurdle, was found to be coughing after the race which went to the Irish National winning team of Pat Hughes and Philip Carberry with View Mount Prince, who was last of the 28 runners with a circuit to go.
Culmullen Hall rounded off a very good day for the Geraghty family as Barry's sister Jilly rode the bumper winner which is trained by their father Tucker.
