Patience pays off with McManus home-bred Number

A win has been coming for quite some time now with It’s Only A Number, and it arrived at the 19th attempt when he bolted up in the Molson Coors Handicap Chase at Down Royal.

J P McManus had earlier seen his silks carried to success by Time To Get Up in the feature race over at Wincanton, and here in the hands of Simon Torrens 100/30 favourite and McManus homebred It’s Only A Number scored much more easily than a winning margin of three lengths would suggest.

It was ‘bar a fall’ from some way out for Fran Flood’s victor, and it was Cappacon that did best of the rest with the pair clear.

"We'll talk to Frank (Berry, McManus’ racing manager) and see where we might go with him, there's a race in Leopardstown on March 8th that might suit him,” said Flood.

"Today he looked like he might get a bit further.

"Good to get a winner."

(MG & EM)