Star potential on show in Kildare

Flemenstar underlined his massive potential as a chaser when running out a comfortable winner of the Grade One John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown last Sunday.

Trained by the genial Peter Casey at his small Stamullen, County Meath yard, Flemenstar has been on the jumping radar since last season when he was unbeaten in all six starts.
Last month, he returned to action with a fine win in the Fortria Chase at Navan under regular partner Andrew Lynch and the pair were again reunited for Sunday’s race where his two rivals included the much-vaunted and hitherto undefeated Sir Des Champs representing the powerful Gigginstown House and Willie Mullins combination.
As expected, Flemenstar went off in front in this two and a half-miler with Davy Russell on Sir Des Champs and the Barry Geraghty-ridden Rubi Light content to track let the even-money favourite do the donkey work up front.
Taking off at the wings of the second-last Flemenstar was still travelling strongly in the lead and, while Sir De Champs did close on the leader a bit in the home straight, he could not land any significant blow with Flemenstar coasting to a comfortable five-length win.
Rubi Light was eased when it was clear he had no chance of upsetting the front two and he coasted home some 29 lengths farther back in third place.
Make no mistake about it, this was a superb performance from the winner. He jumped like a buck all through and, while he clearly had the edge on fitness over the runner-up on this occasion, the expected clash of the first two home at Leopardstown over Christmas may well turn out to be one of the highlights of the festive season.
Naturally Casey was thrilled with his stable star’s performance as he divulged, “That was great and this horse is not fully wound up yet. He is a more relaxed horse this year, a different animal. He’ll go to Leopardstown at Christmas now and will definitely step up to three miles in the Lexus Chase.”
It is fantastic to see a veteran trainer like Casey enjoy big-race success with such a good horse and there is no doubt if this fellow was under the care of Paul Nicholls or Nicky Henderson, the whole world would be raving about him.
Thankfully, Flemenstar’s owner, Stephen Curran, has resisted a plethora of big money offers for the seven-year-old who, so far, has been expertly handled by his trainer, who firmly resisted the temptation to go to Cheltenham last season, opting instead to stick to easier targets at home like the Powers Gold Cup at Fairyhouse.
While the Lexus Chase will be yet another stepping stone, Flemenstar’s ultimate target is the Cheltenham Gold Cup. How he fares at Christmas (where he may again clash with Sir De Champs) will tell us more about the son of Flemensfirth’s progress but for now, Casey’s great white hope is a serious contender and all the leading bookmakers agree. Their reaction to Sunday’s impressive display was swift with Flemenstar now installed as 4/1 joint-favourite with Hennessy Gold Cup winner Bob’s Worth for chasings Blue Riband on March 15. 
Even if Willie Mullins had to settle for the runner-up berth in the John Durkan, he still had a good afternoon at the County Kildare track when notching a treble.
Pride Of The Parish started the ball rolling for the champion trainer when taking the opening maiden hurdle in good style in the hands of his son, Patrick.
Dispatched a very short 1/3 favourite, Pride Of The Parish looked a cut above the opposition in this 14-runner two and a half-mile contest and so it proved as the Archie and Violet O’Leary-owned eight-year-old  never came off the bridle to beat Jennies Jewel by 13 lengths.
Mullins’ next visit to the winners’ enclosure came in the Beginners’ Chase where the up-to-now unlucky Mikael D’Haguenet (8/13F) set the record straight when opening his account over fences under a good ride from Paul Townend.
Making all the running, this Rich Ricci-owned French-bred finally got his act together when staying on powerfully in the closing stages to beat Jim Culloty’s Lord Windermere by two and quarter lengths.
The Mullins hat-trick was sealed in the concluding bumper when Sizing Tennessee completed a short-priced double for his rider Patrick Mullins when landing odds of 4/6 favourite with a commanding seven-and-a-half-length success over runner-up Redundant Man.

Sprinter Sacre a champion in the making
The long-awaited season reappearance of Nicky Henderson’s Sprinter Sacre attracted a big crowd to Sandown on Saturday and he didn’t let his followers down when registering a scintillating victory in the Tingle Creek Chase.
Undefeated since he switched to fences following a good third to Al Ferof in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham 2011, last year’s Arkle winner was hot favourite (4/11) to keep his unbeaten run going under his usual partner, Barry Geraghty.
Ruby Walsh set out to make it a true gallop as he shot his mount Sanctuaire into an early lead. Paul Nicholls’ runner is no mug himself having also gone through last season unbeaten over fences and he tore from fence to fence like a scalded cat.
Geraghty, however, didn’t appear too perturbed in behind as he got the odds-on favourite into a nice rhythm, while still keeping the leader in his sights.
Between the fourth and third-last fence, Geraghty sent Sprinter Sacre upsides Sanctuarie and in a matter of strides, the deal was done as the market leader quickened up in very impressive fashion to score by seven lengths from 25/1 outsider Kumbeshwar who passed the weary Sanctuaire on run-in for second place.
Not surprisingly, the winner’s display had most people searching for superlatives. This was a serious effort and the successful six-year-old now stands head and shoulders over everything else in the two-mile chasing division.
Henderson took last season’s Queen Mother Champion Chase with Finian’s Rainbow and looks to have the ideal type to follow up in that race in the Saturday’s winner who has been installed the 4/7 favourite to give the Seven Barrows handler two in a row come Cheltenham 2013 time.
Henderson was effusive in his praise of Saturday’s hero, saying, “I think Sanctuaire is a bit special.  What he did today was what we were all hoping he would and he’s just pure class. He’s not far off the best I’ve trained and I don’t think you’ll see a better two-mile chaser than this fellow. He’ll probably go for the Victor Chandler at Ascot in January and then on to Cheltenham. I’m not sure just yet but that looks the logical route to go with him,” he concluded.