Despite the miserable conditions at Tipperary yesterday, the 'Super Sunday' fixture attracted a bumper attendance, who witnessed Dermot Weld's Galway Hurdle scorer Ansar upset warm favourite and Galway Plate hero Grimes in the featured John James McManus Memorial Hurdle.
Paul Carberry simply oozed confidence aboard the 4/1 chance Ansar as Charlie Swan set a steady pace on Grimes, representing the race sponsor J.P.McManus, but he closed the gap after rounding the home turn, forged to the front over the penultimate flight, and drew steadily clear for a smooth five length success.
Speaking by phone from Longchamp, Dermot Weld said, 'The Tote Cesarewitch in Newmarket on October 20th is a definite possibility and then we'll review where he goes hurdling. I was a little worried about the ground beforehand but it all worked out well in the end.'
Cashmans bookmakers also noted the significant improvement of this five-year-old gelding and introduced Ansar at 33/1 for the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham next March.
Christy Roche was not too downhearted after Grimes filled the runner-up berth, 'He ran well considering the ground and hopefully he'll go for a winners of one over fences at Punchestown on Thursday week.'
Favourite backers started proceedings in winning style when market leader Lahinch initiated an opening race double for Aidan O'Brien's Ballydoyle team when she bolted home under Colm O'Donoghue in the valuable five furlong Entrepeneur Stakes.
With O'Brien otherwise engaged in Paris, O'Donoghue remarked, of the winner,
'She travelled real well and has loads of speed. She has improved with every run and I'd say she'll improve again as a three-year-old.'
The second leg of the short price brace came as no great surprise with odds-on High Chapperal duly obliging in the Super Sunday EBF Maiden. The well-backed 1/3 chance responded well to Seamus Heffernan's reminders at the furlong pole to forge ahead of Querin Pier for a two-and-a-half length victory.
The name O'Brien was also successful in the Group 3 Coolmore Concorde Stakes but this time it was Charles O'Brien (no relation) who supplied Montecastillo to score in the hands of Tadhg O'Shea.
O'Shea, who hails from Cork, was recording his first Group success and his 24th win of the current campaign which leaves him two clear of nearest pursuer Wayne Lordan in the apprentice championship race.
During a marvellous afternoon of race action, Charles Byrnes' Golden Row showed yet again his enormous potential when he pulverised the opposition under Philip O'Brien in the Kevin McManus Bookmaker Novice Hurdle while triple point-to-point scorer Wicked Crack held off Native Performance to win the valuable 2m5f chase for Eddie Hales and Conor O'Dwyer.
* Triple champion hurdler Istabraq, owned by yesterday's big race sponsor J.P.McManus, was the star attraction before the feature when he paraded in front of the large crowd.
