Dreal Deal (Maxine O'Sullivan, nearside) jumping with Halsafari (Shauna Larkin)© Photo Healy Racing
Cheltenham festival winning pilot Maxine O’Sullivan oozed confidence aboard 4/6 shot Dreal Deal as Ronan McNally’s hugely progressive five-year-old brought up his four-timer in the Download The BETDAQ App Ladies Handicap Hurdle at Punchestown.
Off a 22Ib higher mark than when he started the sequence, at Navan in September, the Arvico gelding has since twice bolted up on the level.
Cork woman O’Sullivan, won three in the past aboard The Jam Man, before that fellow came under McNally’s tutelage, and of course these two horses began their careers in the Rebel County too.
Pilot of March’s 66/1 comfortable Foxhunters hero, It Came To Pass, the Lombardstown lady waited and waited from off the pace here on Dreal Deal.
Anyone in any doubt two out, had their questions answered when the McNally runner threw a big bold leap.
He still had it to do to pick up the pace-setters though.
However the former ‘pointer’ looks on another level to this sort of opponent as he soon hovered up those ahead of him, and was again full of himself with the way he stylishly cleared the last.
Thankfully Susie Doyle was up quick after place prospect Millen To One got rid of her here.
On the run-in Dreal Deal breezed on by two lengths from Halsafari
"It was a nice performance and I didn't really know what to expect today going up 22lbs, the ground was changed and he was up in grade. The handicapper was right to be fair, he told me he thought he was right and we are happy," said McNally.
"To win four-in-a-row with any horse is amazing but I paid a lot of money for him and I'm delighted it has worked out.
"Ciaran Fennessy advised me to buy the horse and he has never put me far wrong yet and he sold me See Double U, Da Baba Elephant and The Jam Man. He has never put me far wrong with a horse yet and I trust him - when he tells me he has one for me to buy I don't even go and look at the horse, I just transfer the money and go and get it. He is a big part of this whole success.
"Maxine has ridden this horse in schooling races when he was young and it made sense to go for a Ladies Handicap Hurdle which may have been a wee bit weaker than a normal 0-116 race.
"Maxine is as good a rider in Ireland and was ultra cool on him; I was actually panicking turning for home and was saying 'move forward' but she knew what she had and read the race brilliantly.
"He is in at Cork on Sunday but I'll ask the handicapper as it depends on what he is going to do. Ideally I don't want to go to Cork but if the handicapper is going to be hard I'll have to run and then give him a break until the spring as he is more a good ground horse.
"We all want to go to Cheltenham in the spring but he is not as good as that yet. He needs to go up to 130-135 to go to Cheltenham and is a long way off that yet but you can dream."
(TW & EM)
