Samanntom completes hat-trick

Samanntom completed a hat-trick of wins as he made virtually all to take the Irish Examiner Handicap Chase under Mark Enright for Aidan Fogarty.

Successful on his last two starts in point-to-points, the eight-year-old son of Portrait Gallery was sent off the 3/1 favourite today.

Second early he improved to lead after the second fence. He was ridden after the third last and kept on well for pressure, going on to score by five lengths. Lash It On (10's to 8's on-course) finished second under Philip Enright for Charles Byrnes, while Glenwood For Ever (5/1), who won at Kilbeggan on Friday, was a further four and a half lengths back in third under Rachael Blackmore for Paul Gilligan.

Aidan Fogarty said afterwards: "He jumped terrible in his beginners chase so we decided to send him point to pointing and it worked as he got his confidence back.

"He spends a lot of his time out in a field and he seems much happier now and is a different horse this year."

Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes