Paul Carberry continues to set the early pace in the National Hunt riders championship, and moved onto the 13 winner mark for the season when completing a double at Wexford yesterday evening with Canon Can and Ashjar.
Canon Can was sent off the 1/5 favourite for the Datapac Hurdle, and those who traded at such cramped odds had no anxious moments as the Noel Meade trained gelding led after four out for an easy seven length win from Ramanele. 'He seems to handle fast ground well, and will go for a two and a half mile novice hurdle on the Wednesday of the Galway Festival,' said Meade.
Carberry had luck on his side in the Club Orange Novice Chase. Mykon Gold looked set to win when holding a three length lead at the final fence but slipped up on landing to leave the John Carr trained gelding to come home a length ahead of Sawa-Id. The Maynooth permit-holder intends running the seven-year-old twice at Galway saying: 'I will enter him in a mile and a half handicap on the Tuesday, and in a novice chase on the Thursday.'
Ruby Walsh, rider of Mykon Gold, had earlier suffered further misfortune when odds-on chance Rua Lass ran out through the plastic railing with a circuit to go in the Festival (Mares) Maiden Hurdle. However the former champion also registered a win with well-backed favourite Mallaca Hill in the J J Byrne Citroen Handicap Hurdle.
The Willie Mullins trained gelding, successful at Bellewstown last week, may bid for a quick hat-trick at Killarney next week.
