Foxchapel King put a number of recent jumping lapses behind him when landing the odds in the featured Jimmy Hayes Bookmaker Chase at Clonmel yesterday.
However, the Mouse Morris-trained gelding was again far from fluent at a number of fences before stamping his authority in the straight. Conor O'Dwyer cheekily kept a strong hold of the reins as the six-year-old cruised home two and a half lengths ahead of Bangabunny at the line.
"He is still immature but that will help to get his confidence back," said Morris, while O'Dwyer commented: "He has a serious engine but still has a lot to learn." Point-to-point recruits were to the fore, with Pick Of The Stall and Janiste, both successful between the flags last year, taking the opening two maiden hurdles.
Pick Of The Stall was confidently ridden by Ray Hogan, leading before the last to beat the well-backed favourite Somemanforoneman by five and a half lengths in the Well Bar Maiden Hurdle. "She is very game, and an exceptionally good jumper," said the delighted winning trainer Eric McNamara.
Paul Lenihan has the £20,000 INH Stallion Owners' EBF Novice Handicap Hurdle at Fairyhouse on February 28th in mind for Janiste, who took the Tynan Construction Maiden Hurdle in fine style. The seven-year-old mare jumped to the front at the penultimate flight to provide promising amateur Vinny Keane with his fourth victory on the track.
Noel Meade saddled his 47th winner of the campaign when Snow Dragon justified odds-on support in the McCarthys Hotel Hurdle with a four-length win from Sporadic Missile. However, the Navan handler was at a loss afterwards to explain some disappointing performances recently by the stable's runners, saying: "They are looking great and working well at home but nothing has shown up in blood tests to indicate what may be wrong."
Snow Dragon is entered along with Nomadic and Walk On Mix in the Tote Gold Trophy at Newbury but is described as "the least likely of the three to run' by Meade".
Spot Thedifference, the outsider of four runners from the Enda Bolger yard, provided 17-year-old Mark Grant with his first winner when sprinting clear on the run-in to take the J F O'Sullivan Hunters Chase by eight lengths from stablemate Jaywalker.
