Folly Master and Keith Donoghue © Photo Healy Racing
Folly Master ran out an easy winner of the opening beginners chase to give Tom Dreaper his first winner since taking over the training licence from his father Jim.
It was just the fifth runner for Tom Dreaper in his own name under rules, the first coming on Saturday, and the result never looked in doubt for the 11/10 favourite.
Keith Donoghue was to the fore on the eventual winner throughout and he grabbed the lead going to the final fence.
The Famous Name gelding didn't have to come off the bridle in the closing stages as he posted a three-and-three-quarter length win over Brucejack
Tom Dreaper, grandson of the legendary trainer of the same name, said afterwards:-
"Our licenses changed over on March 1st and while I'd love to say this was a masterplan, it wasn't.
“I trained point-to-point winners in my own name in recent years to differentiate the two setups - when selling began to get going, but this is different and is great. I'm glad to get that out of the way.
"He is a lovely horse who has improved hand over fist and this time last year he wouldn't have run in a point-to-point so was a long way down the pecking order.
“He has got better with racing and I know this was relatively low grade stuff but he is what my father would want and what I want and that's a stayer chaser for the future.
"I have a good few point-to-pointers to run and a handful left to run on the racecourse before going out for the summer."
“We'll definitely push on now and the way this game has gone, it is a 12 month a year job now so we'll need to roll all jobs (winter and summer) in together. The job is changing and anything that will win a race, we'll hope to give it a rattle.
"We have had some great traditional owners down through the years - long before I was ever thought of, and we don't ever worry too much about the number of horses. As long as we keep the quality up and maybe push on."
(Quotes by Tom Weekes)
