Bolger back in the winner's enclosure over jumps Jim Bolger sent out his first winner under National Hunt rules since Annie Power won a bumper at Wexford in August 2012 when Eastern Legend landed the odds in division one of the Mongey Communications Maiden Hurdle at Navan. The Teofilo gelding won three times on the Flat to earn a rating of 97 and also boasted some fine placed form over hurdles including behind Romeo Coolio in a Grade 1 at the Leopardstown Christmas meeting. The 1/2 shot was prominent throughout under Keith Donoghue and despite putting in a mixed bag of jumping, asserted before the last and was ridden out on the run-in to score by four and a half lengths. Fad Eadrainn couldn’t make any impression on the run-in in second, with God Of Thunder a further eight and a half lengths adrift in third. Donoghue said, "He jumped well early on and even at the first two down the back when I was on my own. He jumped them well but then at the fourth last he missed it and he was a bit slow over the third last. “He was good at the last two in the straight and he’s well able to jump, sometimes he just lacks a bit of confidence. “He had good form in Grade 1's and on his rating he was entitled to do that. “Knowing Colm O’Rourke well that’s my association there (with Bolger). I’d say if I didn’t win on him today Colm might have put me on the bench! “I think he can keep going during the summer and I think on a bit of nicer ground he can improve. “He could end up being a Galway Hurdle type of horse if his jumping shaped up to jump in a race like that and Galway came up on the better side.” The Bolger colours have been carried to many successes over jumps in the past decade but from other yards including the likes of Des McDonogh and Brendan Duke. Quotes by Gary Carson
