Jabbar and Michael O Sullivan © Photo Healy Racing
Punters who bet long odds-on shots would have been licking their wounds after the opening race at Galway as Jabbar proved too strong for market leader The Enabler in the Tote Always SP Or Better At Galway Maiden Hurdle.
Sent off 4/1 second favourite, the 80-rated Flat horse made his superior turn of foot count to get the better of the Gordon Elliott trained 1/9f The Enabler on the run-in.
A progressive gelding as he stepped up in trip over the summer, the Gerard O'Leary trained Jabbar tracked The Enabler from flag fall.
The pair had the race between them from three out, stretching clear of their rivals. Tracking The Enabler down to the penultimate flight, Michael O'Sullivan would have been hoping for a better jump at that obstacle.
However, with the market leader jumping left, it allowed O'Sullivan to get a dream run through on the inside approaching the last.
Locked together after negotiating that hurdle, Jabbar had too much Flat speed for the former point-to-pointer on the run-in.
“Credit to Ger and Dean (Curran) and Marto (Davidson) and all his team, the horses are in great old form and he's fit as a flea” said Michael O'Sullivan.
“He had a good summer, this horse, and Marto said he had schooled well.
“Jack's lad probably wasn't helping him out in front and I didn't want to help him either.
“The only hurdle I missed was the second last and I was probably being a little bit ambitious, trying to get up the inside. As it worked out I got there anyway.
“He quickened away nicely to the line and he wasn't stopping so it was brilliant.
“The ground is probably as soft as he wants it, there today. It was a lovely performance.”
Additional reporting by Gary Carson.
