Dunvegan and Jack Kennedy are clear at the final fence© Photo Healy Racing
Dunvegan made a successful switch to fences on his reappearance in the Gain Supporting Laois GAA Beginners Chase at Punchestown.
The Pat Fahy-trained gelding was well-supported into 13/8 favourite (3/1 in the morning) but had some fortune on his side as chief market rival Breaken blazed a trail in front until falling three out.
Dunvegan was closing in on the front-runner but still about five lengths down at the time and Breaken’s exit left the way clear for an ultimately easy success.
Jack Kennedy ’s mount eventually came home 18 lengths clear of Valdieu with another Gigginstown-owned gelding Trainwreck a further 32 lengths away in third in a race where most of the 13 runners never got involved.
Fahy said, “I was going to bring him here to school after racing but it was nearly easier to organise running him instead. He seemed to be going well and this is a lucky track for me first time out in beginners’ chases.
“That upsets my plan because if he was second he would have been going to Leopardstown (for another beginners’ chase). He loves this track so we might look for something here.
“We’ll take it in stages and try and get the year out of him as he went totally wrong on us last year. We’ve learned a lot from that and we’ll try and let the runs bring him on and get the full season out of him.
“He was very immature as a young horse and seems to be over a lot of that now.”
