Ballynacree leads Gorgeous Sixty over the last© Photo Healy Racing
Tony McCoy and J P McManus combined for their fifth winner of the Fairyhouse Festival when Ballynacree saw it out best in the opening Grade 3 Weatherbys Ireland GSB Hurdle.
Eight to one when Paddy Power's priced up the race yesterday, Ballynacree tumbled in price all the way into 3/1, though there were admittedly three non-runners, Sonapour, Maggie Neary and Sportsmaster (all due to the change in ground). The latter was the most significant as Tony McCoy had been declared to ride him but then switched on to Ballynacree.
Ruby Walsh and Gorgeous Sixty looked a big threat stalking up the straight and launched their challenge up the inside. However Ballynacree pulled out more in the closing stages to score by a length and a quarter. Cops And Robbers ran a big race on his hurdling bow to be third, seven lengths back but fellow Gigginstown House Stud runners Arnaud and Edeymi performed well below expectations, finishing eighth and last respectively.
Christy Roche trains Ballynacree for McManus, and he is from the second crop of the great stayer, Westerner.
Roche said: "He's a great big horse and a bit of a trip will help him. He handles soft ground – he loves it.
"I'd imagine he would stay forever and I thought that'd be too short for him but we decided to run when the rain came.
"I'll send him chasing now but that'll be in the autumn as he's had a hard season. He's still only learning his trade.
"He's a terrible work horse – he hasn't come up and won yet – he's always behind."
The Stewards enquired into an incident in the closing stages of this race involving One Cool Shabra ridden by J L Cullen and Cops And Robbers (GB), ridden by E J McNamara, where it appeared interference had taken place. Evidence was heard from the riders concerned. Having viewed a recording of the race and considered the evidence, the Stewards found that E J McNamara was in breach of Rule 214 in that he had ridden carelessly and having taken his record into account, they suspended him for one raceday. (MG & EM)
