The Nutcracker gains deserved win

The Nutcracker (10/1) ran out a most deserving winner of the Costello McDermott 50th Anniversary Mares Handicap Hurdle at Ballinrobe to shed her maiden tag on attempt number seventeen.

Lowly rated on the level, the Antonius Pius mare has been a different proposition since launched over flights and she was an unfortunate loser at Down Royal last time, an effort which came hot on the heels of her runner-up placing behind the progressive Credo Star.

In this extended two miler, Tom Gibney's charge, with Andrew Lynch in the saddle, got the better of Supreme Vic and I'm All You Need by a length and a half and half a length.

"That was great. In fairness she was unlucky the last day in the North. We are just getting the hang of her, she needs to come late and she likes the bit of good ground," explained Gibney.

"She is settling since going over hurdles. She is the mostly aptly named animal in Ireland I would say and that's the reason I have her.

"She will definitely go back on the flat at some stage but we will just sit tight at the moment. She is definitely good enough for the flat if she keeps the head. It's all about keeping her head."

Meanwhile on his great servant Lion Na Bearnai Gibney said: "We will bring him in and see how he is. If he is not up for it we will call it a day. He was as good as ever this year but he just didn't have the rub of the green to be fair to him. He got a stress fracture in the National with the fall."

M.J. Bolger, rider of Catimini trained by Sean Byrne, reported to the Clerk of Scales that his mount lost her action and was pulled up.

(DM & EM)