Fleur In The Park leads Taponthego over the last© Photo Healy Racing
Andy Slattery has high hopes for Fleur In The Park after he justified sustained market support in the Boylesports Best Odds Guaranteed Maiden Hurdle.
The winner of a bumper on debut at Roscommon, the bay five-year-old performed with credit against quality opposition in four starts since.
Starting off over flights this afternoon, the Margaret O'Rourke-owned victor was available at 7/2 in early shows, eventually going off the 11/10 favourite.
In front after the first under Cian Quirke, he jumped well throughout and was nudged out on the run-in to see off the game effort of Taponthego by a length and a half.
The runner-up lost little in defeat on his track debut, with the front pair 11 lengths clear of Marcus Furuis (4/1) in third.
"He wants two and a half to three miles and I thought he'd win over two if he is as good as I think he is," Slattery enthused.
"He is going for the Monksfield at Navan in three weeks’ time, so we had to get a run into him and that will bring out loads of improvement.
"Cian said he had a blow, that he won very easy and had loads of horse left. He had good runs in bumpers last year but was never really trained for bumpers, as I wanted to give him a chance to be a good horse and I didn't want to drill him to win bumpers, he still ran very well in them.
"I think there will be improvement over hurdles and over fences next year, that’s the plan.
"I'm looking forward to the season with him, he'll go to the Monksfield first and then we'll take it from there. He might end up in the Albert Bartlett."
