Chatham lands tidy gamble in the opener

Chatham Street Lad justified very good support for popular local trainer Mick Winters in the McCarthy Insurance Group Rated Novice Hurdle at Cork.

The Beneficial gelding was available at double-figure prices earlier in the day but they were quickly snapped up and he was further backed on track from 7/2 into 15/8 favourite.

Luke Dempsey elected to make all on the six-year-old, who showed promise on debut at Clonmel last term but has been a shade disappointing in two outings this season, and the change of tactics worked well.

The market leader kept on strongly from the last to beat Wait Here by three and three quarter lengths, with Ale Ambrosio a further four and a half lengths away in third.

Winters said, "He is a big powerful horse and the two miles and the heavy suited him. He'll make a three miler in time but he definitely didn't stay it the last time he ran. The two (miles) in the heavy ground suited him today.

"He's big and lairy and is a gangly horse but it'll be three or four year time when he'll make a grand old chaser."

Regarding the gamble he joked "Well, I didn't have to have any of my own money on! He cost 30,000 as a three-year-old and is on his third season so it's great that they have a start with him.

"He's a grand horse to have as he has run no bad race but the last day he didn't seem to get home over the three miles. He's 17 hands and is big and raw and is honest out."

(TW & AM)