Apple's Jade (Jack Kennedy) on her way to winning the Hatton's Grace Hurdle© Photo Healy Racing
Apple’s Jade provided Gigginstown House Stud, Gordon Elliott and Jack Kennedy with a quickfire Grade One double at Fairyhouse as Apple’s Jade readily justified evens favouritism in the Bar One Racing Hatton’s Grace Hurdle.
The daughter of Saddler Maker, successful on her reappearance last month in the Lismullen Hurdle at Navan, adopted her usual front-running tactics here for a sixth career win at the top level.
She held a couple of lengths advantage over main market rival Nichols Canyon at the second last when the latter pecked on landing, and Kennedy got an instant response when pressing the button approaching the last.
She galloped on strongly on the run-in to score by nine lengths, with Supasundae staying on at one pace to take third a further length and three quarters adrift.
She's done it again - Apple's Jade wins the @BarOneRacing Hatton's Grace Hurdle! @Fairyhouse pic.twitter.com/lIezn4GX8G— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) December 3, 2017
She's done it again - Apple's Jade wins the @BarOneRacing Hatton's Grace Hurdle! @Fairyhouse pic.twitter.com/lIezn4GX8G
Elliott said, “We will give her a bit of a break now, and she might go back to Punchestown for the race she got beaten in last year. The (OLBG) Mares Hurdle is the plan and then Punchestown. If we mind her we might get a few years out of her.
“I was always thought to win the race you can win so she will go for the Mares race (at Cheltenham) all being well. We will keep her to her own sex now and she can keep doing it.
“I thought that was as good a performance as she ever had. The way she kept pulling out there you would have to be impressed with her She’s class and we are very lucky to have her.
“She is only a five-year-old and she has six Grade One’s won. She is a different mare at home this year than what she was last year. Lisa O’Neill rides her every day of the week and rode her all last year as well and she said she’s a different mare. She’s stronger and she’s carrying a lot more condition which you would expect with age.”
Kennedy said, “She was very good. She jumped out, travelled very well in front, jumped great and kept pulling it out the whole time. Two-and-a-half seems to be her trip. She's very good over two-and-a-half so I'd say she'll be sticking to that.”
Apple’s Jade is a red-hot favourite to repeat her win last March in the OLBG Mares Hurdle at Cheltenham, with Boylesports as short as evens (from 2/1) while Paddy Power offer 11/8 (from 5/2) and Betfair are a shade bigger at 6/4.
(GC & AM)
