Ginto and Jack Kennedy © Photo Healy Racing
The 5/4 favourite Ginto displayed deep reserves of stamina and a willing attitude under pressure to land the featured Lawlor's Of Naas Novice Hurdle (Grade 1).
Jack Kennedy set steady enough fractions aboard the winner who was pushed along after three out. Grand Jury (12/1) laid down a strong challenge between the final two flights but Ginto pulled away on the run-in to beat that rival by four and a quarter lengths. The winner’s stable companion Hollow Games was a neck further away in third.
Defeated in a bumper by today’s rival Whatdeawant (finished fifth here) on racecourse debut, the Walk in The Park gelding has remained unbeaten since and was making it three from three over hurdles in a race won for the last two years by subsequent Ballymore winner Envoi Allen and Bob Olinger.
He was shortened to 8/1 from 16s for that race by Paddy Power and Betfair who also make him 8/1 (from 10s) for the Albert Bartlett. Hollow Games is a 6/1 chance, from 8/1, for that three-miler.
Winning trainer Gordon Elliott said: “Jack said he wasn’t doing a stroke the whole way. He jumped well and stays well. He’s very idle in front on his own.
“He’s a fine looking horse. Jamie (Codd) rode him in Navan where he travelled better with a lead. He was having to do all the donkey work today and a better race will suit him better.
“It’s a first Grade 1 winner for Bective (Stud). They are big supporters of Cullentra and of Irish racing. They are on holidays in Dubai and will be watching and hopefully enjoying it.
“I think he’ll stay further, I think all he does is stay. We had to stretch them and if it turned into a sprint it wouldn’t have worked.
“Hollow Games ran very well. He was stopped a couple of times and probably should have been second.”
Quotes from Alan Magee
