South South West throws a stylish leap over the last on the way to beating Teofolina© Photo Healy Racing
Fresh from his winner with He's Our Music at Dundalk last night, Pat Flynn was on the mark again in the opener at Gowran through South South West s success in the opening Gowran Park Golf Membership 3-y-o Hurdle.
Andrew McNamara 's mount showed the benefit of previous hurdling experience.
He fought off a pair of promising timber-topping debutants up the straight, namely Pacelli Road (for Dermot Weld) and Teofolina (for Jim Bolger) by three lengths and a short head.
Uneasy in the market, the favourite, Dougal Philps was too 'free' and it was hardly surprising to see the front-runner 'fold' when things 'hotted-up,' fading back to finish in fifth.
Flynn remarked: "It's good to get another winner. He's a nice horse but at home you'd think nothing of him.
"We're half aiming him at the Fred Winter and he'll need all that jumping experience if he goes there.
"A Grade 2 at Leopardstown over Christmas is a possibility now."
South South West is 33/1 (first show) for the Fred Winter at the Cheltenham Festival with Stan James. (TW & EM)
