Cooper off the mark for Mullins Gigginstown new boy Bryan Cooper got the better of old incumbent Davy Russell as Don Poli in the maroon and white saw off Kerrieonvic in the I.N.H. Stallion Owners European Breeders Fund Maiden Hurdle at Thurles. Kerrieonvic was bidding to supply Russell and his trainer Charles Byrnes with a double following Synchronicity's victory half an hour later. However he lost out by half a length to odds-on favourite Don Poli. Don Poli was niggled along from the third last but he got a great run through on the inner under Cooper from before the straight. He then pulled out enough on the run-in to ward off what had looked to be a potentially racing winning challenge from Kerrieonvic. Willie Mullins trains Don Poli and he said: "The extra trip helped him. He's a very laid back type and he had the scope to take the last hurdle very well. "He's every bit a chaser in the making. Hopefully we'll be able to win another novice hurdle but chaser is written all over him. "I was joking with Wendy (O'Leary, Eddie's wife) that if she ever wanted to make a comeback to the saddle this would be the ideal horse as he's a bus." This was Cooper's first victory for Mullins. Ronald O'Neill, trainer of Kymin's Way, reported to the Clerk of Scales that his charge scoped abnormally post race. (TW & EM)
