Clondaw Warrior and Ruby Walsh (nearside) come to take over from The Plan Man and David Mullins© Photo Healy Racing
Clondaw Warrior and Ruby Walsh proved to be an irresistible combination when smooth victors of the Grade B Farmhouse Foods Handicap Hurdle at Fairyhouse.
Walsh (reportedly his 100th winner of the season) was patient on the sweet-travelling Clondaw Warrior down the inner.
He arrived with his challenge approaching the last, switching around The Plan Man before going on to beat that one by a convincing three lengths.
In behind there was a horrible spill at the last for Officieux (possibly a fatality) and Sean Flanagan, whilst in an unrelated incident Ordinary World and Andrew Lynch came down on the flat. Thankfully the jockeys were able to walk away.
Willie Mullins trains Clondaw Warrior for the Act D Wagg Syndicate, which of course numbers Walsh's wife Gillian amongst its members.
"He just missed the cut in the Galway Hurdle last year and hopefully he'll get into it this year!" commented Mullins.
"We have an entry for the Scottish Champion Hurdle and he ran a bit better than I expected today. We didn't enter him for the Yorkshire Cup which closed today but they went such a gallop here that it played into his hands.
"They went very fast and all just seemed to collapse. I thought it was probably ride of the week. He'd only a few behind him at Ballyhack, and got a lovely run through but he was brazen enough to take it."
(AM & EM)
