Nostra Casa has Festival options after third career win

Nostra Casa continued on an upward curve when making a winning reappearance in the SBK Betting Podcast Handicap at Navan.

The Dubawi gelding is from a good Moyglare Stud family being a half-brother to four winners including the smart Forgotten Rules and joined Paul Flynn last spring after two years on the sidelines.

He took advantage of a lowly mark to win twice last year and progressed again to score here off a rating of 73.

Dylan Browne McMonagle was hard at work two furlongs out but his mount picked up well on the closing uphill finish leading close home to beat 7/2 joint favourite Bay Of Sanibel by three-quarters of a length. St Faz was just half-a-length back in third with Rain completing the places in fourth.

Flynn said, "Dylan just said that he didn't help him because he doesn't like being boxed in and obviously with the draw, it was hard to get out. He probably likes a bit heavier ground.

"The boys like Galway and we will try and get into Galway this year, we missed it with a cut last year.

"He won in Thurles last year over two miles, so we have the option of the two-mile race in Galway. We'd love to get into the amateur race in Galway, but I think Dylan wants to keep him below and go another way!

"The next race coming up is probably Killarney. There's a valuable race in Hamilton and I might go over there."

Quotes by Michael Graham