Champion trainer Aidan O'Brien experienced elation and exasperation at a rainsoaked Tipperary yesterday after he was hit with a £500 fine by the stewards for using the racecourse as a training ground with the two-year-old Gentle Thoughts, just over 30 minutes after a brilliant seasonal debut from Istabraq.
Istabraq leaped to the head of the Champion Hurdle market when never out of second gear to win the £50,000 James McManus Memorial Hurdle, but O'Brien had to make a number of visits to the stewards' room to explain the running of Gentle Thoughts in the earlier Deep Gale Maiden.
The filly finished noticeably well under Seamus Heffernan to finish third after racing in the rear of the field at the two-furlong marker. An inquiry was immediately called but it wasn't until after the fifth race that O'Brien was fined, Heffernan slapped with a 14-day ban for making insufficient effort and Gentle Thoughts suspended from racing for 30 days.
O'Brien, who was celebrating his 28th birthday, was in less than celebratory form after leaving the stewards and commented: "It's unbelievable, madness. You know the way the ground goes out there."
The ground was officially soft to heavy but it appeared as near heavy as makes no difference. It meant any number of very tired, slowly finishing animals but Istabraq was a glorious exception as he carried JP McManus's colours seven lengths clear of Cockney Lad to win the race named after the winning owner's father with his head in his chest.
"I couldn't be more pleased. He has got much stronger and jumped very professionally. On softish ground he will always destroy them," said Charlie Swan. Paddy Power bookmakers were also suitably impressed and chopped Istabraq from 10 to 1 to 7 to 1 joint favourite for the Champion Hurdle with Shadow Leader and Make A Stand.
"He's sharper, stronger and faster this season and will go for the Hattons Grace in Fairyhouse next. After that it will probably be a race at Christmas, the Irish Champion and then Cheltenham," O'Brien said.
O'Brien won three other races on the day but he also endured a reverse in the Kevin McManus Bookmaker Novice Hurdle when Promalee, who started 1 to 3 after four horses were pulled out, couldn't cope with Go Roger Go who again allowed JP McManus to keep the majority of the prize money.
"That was a pleasant surprise," said trainer Edward O'Grady. "He's a very good jumper and will go for the better novice hurdles."
Go Roger Go was completing a double for Richard Dunwoody who had earlier got O'Brien's smart novice Private Peace home 11 lengths clear in the novice chase despite a bad mistake at the first obstacle. McManus's luck wasn't in here as Finnegans Hollow was well beaten when taking a horrible fall at the last. Finnegans Hollow was winded and took five minutes to get to his feet but O'Brien later reported him to be fine.
O'Brien added: "We'll take things slowly with Private Peace but hopefully he'll be a Sun Alliance Chase horse." Dunwoody afterwards described the winner as "very good" and the ground he had won on as "bad enough."
Christy Roche had an armchair ride on Chateau Royal to win the opener at 4 to 5, beating the nicely backed Mirror Mirror. The winning colt could now be promoted to Group One company for the Grand Criterium de St Cloud over 10 furlongs in Paris next month while Garryduff Supreme turned the bumper into a procession under Charmaine O'Neill.
Roche had to work slightly harder to ride another odds-on winner as Charles O'Brien's Perfect Venue battled on nicely to beat his only serious market rival Welsh Lion by a three parts of a length and Runabout arrived just late enough on the scene to last out from Rushing Bye in the Gain Handicap Hurdle.
This year's Moyglare dinner has been cancelled as a mark of respect to the late Maureen Cosgrove, the wife of Moyglare Stud manager Stan Cosgrove, who died suddenly last Monday. The event was scheduled for Saturday, 13th December.
This year's Moyglare dinner has been cancelled as a mark of respect to the late Maureen Cosgrove, the wife of Moyglare Stud manager Stan Cosgrove, who died suddenly last Monday. The event was scheduled for Saturday, 13th December.Jamie Osborne faces at least seven days on the sidelines after being concussed in a fall at Taunton yesterday. The jockey, partnering Royal Action for his boss Oliver Sherwood, was catapulted into the ground when the horse crashed through the rails at the start of the Resorcinol Novices' Hurdle.
