On The Fringe (right) leads Tammys Hill (white jacket) to the final fence© Photo Healy Racing
Tammys Hill benefited from a cool waiting ride from Robbie McNamara to win the Raymond Smith Memorial Hunters Chase at Leopardstown today but the popular gelding's 'love affair' with the hunters' chase division may soon be at an end, according to his trainer Liam Lennon.
McNamara held the winner up behind the leaders and allowed On The Fringe a clear lead approaching the final fence. On The Fringe stayed on well on the run-in but McNamara timed his run well on Tammys Hill who edged ahead, on the inner, close home for a three parts of a length win.
Afterwards Lennon revealed “Tammys Hill probably won't go to Cheltenham (for the Foxhunters Chase) as he has run two or three times over there and has never produced. He 'll probably go handicapping now instead and today was his Gold Cup; it was really everyone's Gold Cup as the whole of the North follows him!
“He'll probably go for the Ulster National now and I spoke to the handicapper beforehand and he said to me he would get into that race regardless of where he finished today.”
“James Smyth (whose father Patrick Smyth owns the horse) does all the riding, feeding and everything with him and everything is down to him. He told me he was in very good form coming here today but the reason he didn't ride him was he would have had to carry overweight and the Stewards wouldn't let him ride at 2lbs overweight.
“We decided rather than him being too weak to give someone else a chance and I told Robbie (McNamara) beforehand to come with him half way up the run-in and he said to me 'it'll be later than that!'.
By Thomas Weekes, quotes from Gary Carson
