Cratloe owner/trainer Michael McDonagh tasted success when his Letterlee Star ran out a good winner of the concluding Rock Of Cashel Handicap Chase at Thurles on Thursday of last week.

Ground conditions at the Tipperary track were very demanding, but that didn’t deter the 7/1 shot who was capably ridden by talented Cork-born five-pound claimer David Splaine.

Having hinted at a return to form when second at Punchestown on his previous start, Letterlee Star, whose dam, Letterlee, won a Thyestes Chase back in 1998, was quietly fancied by his connections here to open his account over the larger obstacles.

Splaine, son of former Irish show jumping star Robert Splaine, settled Letterlee Star in the main bunch in the early stages of this two-mile, five-furlong test.

Heading towards the third-last fence, Letterlee Star had pulled his way to the front and showing no signs of stopping on the stamina-sapping ground the Old Vic-sired nine-year-old strode to an impressive nine-length victory over the gambled-on Mr Bb.

The winner, received a hike of 9Ibs from the handicapper for last week’s success, but still looks nicely treated of his revised mark of 92 and can win soon again for his shrewd handler.

Meanwhile, Saturday’s meeting at Gowran Park was reduced to an all hurdle race card when the chase track was deemed unraceable with the Grade 2 Red Mills Hurdle taking centre stage.

Not surprisingly, the all-conquering Willie Mullins camp took the spoils here but not with the more fancied runner, as 11/4 shot So Young upset his better fancied stable companion 4/6 favourite Zaidpour.

David Casey did the steering aboard the winner, who edged to the front on the run to the final flight before staying on best on the run to the line to beat the Paul Townend-ridden market leader by half a dozen lengths.

Mullins commented, “David (Casey) said he was happy with So Young all through the race. I thought he was an out and out stayer, but he’s won well today over two miles. He is entered in the World Hurdle at Cheltenham, but could also go for the County Hurdle or the Coral Cup.”

Reflecting on the runner-up’s seemingly below-par performance, Mullins revealed, “Zaidpour seemed a bit lifeless today and may not have been in love with that really heavy ground.”

The Closutton, County Carlow trainer had earlier initiated a double when landing the opening four-year-old maiden hurdle with odds-on favourite Djakadam.

Paul Townend was onboard the 4/7 shot who made light work of his rivals as he made most of the running to beat runner-up Ibsen by 14 lengths.

Yet another high-class recruit to carry the colours of top owners’ Rich and Susannah Ricci, the French-bred youngster, who crashed out at the final flight when looking set to score on his debut at Thurles last month, will not be travelling to Cheltenham as part of Mullins’ powerful Prestbury Park raiding party, with the big Fairyhouse and Punchestown spring Festivals likely to feature strongly on Djakadam’s agenda.

The Red Mills Chase, which was due be run on Gowran’s Saturday card, was transferred to Navan on Tuesday and it provided a big pay day for Galway owner, John Earls as his Aintree Grand National hope, Chicago Grey, sprung a 25-1 shock when taking this €40,000 Grade 2 event for trainer Gordon Elliott and jockey Davy Condon.

Rubi Light went off the 8/11 favourite to land this four-runner contest but, having made the running to early in the home straight, he folded rapidly as Chicago Grey hit the front. Once safely over the final fence, Condon only had to keep the Gordon Elliott-trained grey – who won the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham back in 2011 under Derek O’Connor – going as he ran on well to beat Foildubh by two and a half lengths.
The winner looks on-course for a crack at the National now, where he will be hoping for better luck having been brought down at the fifth fence in last year’s Aintree showpiece.

Killaloe rescheduled for Sunday

Unfortunately the weather put paid to last Sunday’s East Clare Hunt point-to-point meeting, but the good news is that the meeting will now go ahead this Sunday.

While the executive did everything in their power to race last Sunday, horrible weather towards the end of last week left the track waterlogged and, when Turf Club officials inspected the course early on Friday morning, the sensible decision was made to move the meeting back a week to its new slot.

The original card stands and a great day’s racing is expected on the lands of the Flynn family at Garranboy where, with a total of 113 entries for the six races, competitive racing is assured.

Just one of the three meetings scheduled for last weekend survived and that was the Island Foxhounds meeting at Ballydarragh, County Wexford.

Champion jockey, Derek O’Connor, who was originally meant to be riding in Kilalloe, re-routed to the Model County track and the Tubber rider was rewarded when he took the open lightweight aboard 6/1 shot Most Chaste.

Nedzer’s Return attempted to make all here under regular partner Annie Bowles, but O’Connor was getting a real tune out of his mount who eased past Gordon Elliott’s front-runner on the approach to two out.

From here on O’Connor was not going to be denied as he kept the winning daughter of Alderbrook up to her work to beat Twin Joy and Nedzer’s Return, who dead-heated for second place, by seven lengths.

The winner is trained in County Wexford by amateur jockey Andrew Latta, who usually rides his own horses but is currently on the sidelines recuperating from a heavy fall he sustained at a point-to-point at Punchestown earlier this month.

All the recent cancellations have led to stop-start effect on the point-to-point season and this is reflected in the riders’ table where Jamie Codd, who drew a blank at his home meeting last Sunday, currently leads nine times champion O’Connor by three (32-29) in the race for the 2012/ 2013 title.

Those kind of figures would have been well surpassed by now in the normal scheme of things but, with up to a dozen meetings lost to the bad weather so far this term, whoever is crowned champion jockey will surely finish the season on a much-reduced tally of winners.

It is also very frustrating for trainers who have horses to run, but just cannot find a bit of nice ground to run them on. This is especially true in the case of young horses. Running a nice four or five-year-old on desperate ground can leave a huge mark and, in some cases, horses may not recover sufficiently from their exertions to turn out again this season.

All this leaves connections with a mighty headache and, given the circumstances, four and five-year-old maidens over the next couple of months look set to be hugely competitive affairs.