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Punchestown 2024
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- Happy days for Casey as Giorni wins well
Mark Nunan
Happy days for Casey as Giorni wins well
Giorni Felice and Nathan Crosse
© Photo Healy Racing
Nathan Crosse did very well to settle the free-running Giorni Felice (8/1) down the back in division two of the apprentice handicap, and brought his mount through smoothly in the home straight to win comfortably by three and a half lengths from Hidden Spark
The 9/4 favourite Guido Reni appeared to have every chance and finished a further half a length away in third.
A winner on his second start for Eddie Lynam in 2017, the Born To Sea gelding, although placed a few times, had failed to add to that success in the meantime.
His mark had dropped from an initial rating of 80 to 45, and he benefitted from a couple of outings last month after a lay-off since November.
This was his fourth start in all for new trainer Francis Casey who said: "He probably did it too well but I'm delighted with him.
“I thought he'd win last week (finished sixth at Roscommon) but it was a helter skelter of a race, he got his throat cut and that was the end of it.
“He likes a bit of dig in the ground. Hopefully he can go in again but what will the handicapper do now!
“He was rated 80 at one time. He was well thought of early on in Lynam's. He's come a long way down since then.
“I schooled him over hurdles and thought he was as good a jumper as I've ever seen but I brought him away to school with another horse and he knocked down every hurdle.
“He's in a good space at the moment though so might try him again as he goes on soft ground.”
Additional reporting by Gary Carson