No Notions (right) battles it out with The Mull (centre) while The Blarney Rose is back in third© Photo Healy Racing
Enda Bolger & John Thomas McNamara recorded their second track winner in the last week (scored with On The Fringe at Punchestown last Wednesday) as No Notions (7/1) took the The Dan Linehan's Bar Hunters Chase over 2m 6f.
The 6yo son of Oscar was recording his first win on his fifth start on the racecourse this evening but is two from three in point-to-point’s.
He won a point-to-point at Tralee in January of last year on his second career start and won another one at Lemonfield in March.
Since then he pulled up in the Joseph O´Reilly Memorial Hunters Chase at the Fairyhouse Easter Festival while he finished fifth last time out in the Ladies Cup over the banks at the Punchestown Festival behind Big Shu.
Having his first run of good ground today, the JP McManus owned gelding was under pressure in sixth at the fourth last fence but responded well to his jockeys urgings and came with his challenge at the second last.
He soon gained a narrow lead and stayed on well on the run-in to just fend off the rallying The Mull (10/1) by half a length. The Blarney Rose finished a further length back in third at 8/1 for Eugene O’Sullivan while the 11/8 favourite Boxer Georg for Willie & Patrick Mullins had every chance but just couldn’t quicken with the first three home and had to settle for fourth.
Winning trainer Enda Bolger said afterwards: "I fancied him at Punchestown but he let us down. That was definitely ride of the week from John Thomas."
Donal Murphy & Thomas Weekes
