Going - Chase - Heavy Hurdle - Heavy, soft to heavy in places. Overcast
Jackpot Pool - €28,072.71 Dividend - €906.00 Winning Units - 21.7. Placepot Pool - €23,692.44 Dividend - €20.30 Winning Units - 813.05. Days Aggregate - €131,256.13 (8 races). Last Year (7 races).
Mangan 'going places' with Spillane's Tower
he is a smart horse, we like him a lot and he has never disappointed us on any of his races. He is an old fashioned chaser and I'm very grateful to the McManus family, who bred him, for sending him to me. It was a hell of a race he ran in at Navan the last time (won by Facile Vega) and any horse who performs well at Navan, you are really going places. He'll step up in trip and won't be found wanting. He is a big horse and can only improve. We'll see how he comes out of this race and we'll speak to Frank (Berry, McManus' racing manager) and whatever they say, we'll do. We like him a lot and I'm delighted for them as they put so much into this game.
Easy win for Embassy Gardens
Battling Blizzard wins on hurdling debut
Cawley collects in first of Full Circle Series qualifiers
he ran a great race in Fairyhouse for me at the festival meeting at Easter where a horse fell and he got driven out into the next parish. After that I thought 'if I could keep him right'. I thought Philip (Enright, winning jockey) was leaving him with a lot to do but said he thought he had enough in hand to get there and when he went for him, he found a little more. It's a tough battle in that ground but it is loose. I think we'll keep him at the hurdles because he didn't impress me a lot when we tried him over fences and we'll take what comes. The horses are healthy at the moment and fit and that's all you can hope for.
Jetara continues Punchestown family tradition
she is a second-season novice so has got the experience from last year and unlike the rest of the family, goes on that heavy ground. She's hardy, won going away and quickened up great. I don't know where we'll go, she might get an entry in the mares race at Christmas (Grade 3 Kerrymount Mares Hurdle at Leopardstown) and then there is one at the end of January (Solerina Mares Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse). We'll look at anything over 2m4f or 2m5f and I might try and find a three-mile race in England. The mares' novice at Cheltenham is only two miles so I'd rather wait and go to Fairyhouse for the 2m4f Grade 1 - that would be her aim in the spring.
Elixir defies 1,372 days layoff with Punchestown win
Willie had him entered in a chase and I'd presume that's the road he'll go down from here. It's lovely to get him back and that was a lovely race to find for him. We'll be happy now if the wheels stay on. He's a fine big horse and his form was very good around the time he got injured. It's lovely to see him back and credit to all of Willie's team.
McManus completes treble with Duffys Getaway
he's not one that I'd have had my euro on! I wouldn't have been over confident but it's great that he's backed up the last day and went and done it again. I'm really pleased because he's a horse that had hugely disappointed us. We gave him a break, he wears a tongue-strap and obviously has got a level of confidence from the last day and kicked on forward. He won very well the last day and we'll go easy on him now and probably aim at Fairyhouse on New Year's Day or something in the New Year. Hopefully he'll come out of this okay. He has a little wind issue so to see him getting through that is great.
Elliott lands bumper with recent point-to-point winner
he's a grand horse and to be honest I was nervous about running because he ran in a point-to-point a few weeks ago. He's a horse for the future, a big horse and we'll put him away now until next year. You might see him run in a graded hurdle or something but he won't do much this season as he's a massive horse.
