Review gowran park 18th Feb

< Rubi Light set himself up for the Cheltenham Festival as he demolished the opposition in the Red Mills Chase at Gowran Park.

Sent straight to the front by Andrew Lynch, the 2-5 favourite wasn't as fluent as he might have been and fluffed the second-last, but he oozed class as he built up an ever-increasing lead from halfway.

Robbie Hennessy's charge was eased down after the last to beat Chicago Grey by 16 lengths to seal back-to-back victories in the Grade Two contest, and now heads for the Ryanair Chase.

Lynch was completing a double having had to work considerably harder on Jim Dreaper's 11-8 favourite Harpsy Cord who fended off Sole Witness by a length and a half in the Follow Gowran On Facebook Beginners Chase.

The Willie Mullins-trained Zaidpour won the day's other big race, the Red Mills Trial Hurdle, just as he liked under Paul Townend.

The 2-9 favourite gets much further than the two miles of the Grade Two event and Townend ensured there was no question of being tapped for speed by going on approaching the third-last flight.

Zaidpour soon had his rivals toiling and he was untroubled in sauntering home by six and a half lengths from Kalann to make it four out of four for the season.

Christy Roche's newcomer Ballynacree put up an eyecatching performance to win the Shantou At Burgage Stud Maiden Hurdle in the colours of JP McManus.

Several looked to be going well nearing the last, but Jody McGarvey was the one with the most ammunition and once he popped the question, the 40-1 shot zipped away to score by six lengths.

McManus doubled up when John Kiely's Up For The Match (12-1) landed a cosy victory by a length and a half in the Goresbridge Handicap Hurdle in the hands of Alan Crowe.

John Joe Walsh's Jack Absolute (16-1) led three out under Philip Enright and was in control thereafter as he took the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Handicap Chase by 10 lengths.