Leopardstown round-up: Adrian Maguire knew some wonderful days at Leopardstown as a jockey but his reaction to yesterday's success by Celestial Wave suggests that his new role as a trainer is a lot more satisfying.
After Nina Carberry guided the 9 to 4 second favourite to an all-the-way victory in the Listed mares hurdle, Maguire couldn't contain his enthusiasm for the winner.
"I really think she is a superstar," beamed the man whose list of wins as a rider around the Foxrock track included Fortune And Fame in the 1994 AIG.
"She has been frightening me at home since she won the last day. I know I rode some good ones but I've felt I might have a real good one on my hands which is great when you're starting off as a trainer."
Celestial Wave is just a fifth racetrack winner for Maguire who has been more successful on the point-to-point front and who is almost feeling nostalgic for those carefree days in the saddle.
"Riding them was easy. Standing there watching is hard. I know I had a few grey hairs when I gave up but I'm white now!" he said. "We will have to see about Cheltenham. What I don't want to do is jump the gun with her. Nina was brilliant but then all these Carberrys are brilliant jockeys."
Nina's brother, Paul, took his tally for the week to seven when Rocket Ship won a thriller in the conditions hurdle and that took trainer Noel Meade's overall total for Christmas to nine.
After Rocket Ship's short-head defeat of the favourite Maxxium, Meade said: "He is in the Pierse back here and also in the Ladbroke in England. We will see but he has always worked like a good horse at home."
Denis O'Regan got a five-day ban for careless riding on board the fourth home Ease The Way.
Our Ben started a warm favourite for the Beginners Chase but the Willie Mullins-trained horse was decisively trumped by the gamble of the race, Nickname, who easily won for Conor O'Dwyer on his sole ride of the day.
Morning prices of 33 to 1 quickly vanished down to 5 to 1 and the ex-French horse, who has been with his new trainer Martin Brassil for just four months, sluiced up by 10 easy lengths. Formerly trained by Jean Pierre Gallarini, Nickname won nine of his 15 starts in France and was only once out of the frame. All but one of those starts was at the premier Paris track Auteuil and he finished fourth in the 2004 French Champion Hurdle.
Swiss owner Claudia Jungo-Corpataux transferred Nickname to Ireland during the autumn but Brassil had a fright in the morning when the Racing Post listed one of Nickname's wins as coming in a Grade Three chase. In fact it was a hurdle race in March of last year.
"I got a mini tremor when I saw that but it was a mistake," admitted Brassil. "I'm not really a trainer who has them ready first time out but I was confident he'd run a big race. That's his best trip and we might come back here for the Arkle." Cashmans reacted by making Nickname a 14 to 1 shot for the Arkle at Cheltenham.
Tony McCoy won the big race on Brave Inca but he was also in winning form for his boss JP McManus on board Firth Of Forth in the opening maiden hurdle.
Another winning favourite was Heez A Wonder who received a fine ride from Kevin Coleman to beat Ring Of Beara by two lengths in the Opportunity Handicap Chase.
"Kevin gave him loads of light and he jumped well," said trainer Francis Flood. "He's in at Fairyhouse and we might try and go again in a handicap."
Dermot Weld's well touted newcomer Admiral's Call was an uneasy favourite for the bumper and the vibes proved correct as Nina Carberry's mount faded from the lead well before the straight as Tom Foley's Dancing Hero followed up a Gowran success.
