Champion jockey Davy Russell has hit a really rich vein of form recently and three winners for the Cork rider at Navan on Sunday included a fine success aboard Toffino Bay in the featured €80,000 Ladbrokes Troytown Chase.

Trained by the in-form Dessie Hughes, Toffino Bay races in the Gigginstown House colours of Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary and went off an 8/1 shot for this three-mile test, which was run on heavy ground.
Russell settled his mount close to the pace in the early stages and the pair were second turning into the home straight as the front-running Glenquest still held the call.

Jumping the final fence – which was the second last and the last was omitted due to ground conditions – Toffino Bay had made his way to the front and Russell, who lost his whip on the run-in, had to resort to using his right hand to keep the nine-year-old going close home to stave off the determined challenge of runner-up Like Your Style by half a length.

“That was a good performance,” said Curragh-based Hughes, who was winning his first ever Troytown Chase.
“He jumps and stays and that won the day for him. He loves that heavy ground and would be an ideal type for the Irish National  but the ground will more than likely be gone for him by the time that comes around,” added the winning trainer.

“I expect this horse will keep on improving and, while he may not be a Grade One horse, there should be another big handicap in him,” predicted the winning trainer who recently celebrated his 70th birthday.
Toffino Bay’s success was the highlight of yet another smashing day for the powerful Gigginstown House operation who were also successful with the really smart Don Cossack and Sword Of Destiny.

A three-time bumper winner, Don Cossack’s first outing over hurdles was eagerly awaited and he didn’t let his connections down when making a hugely impressive debut over timer in the INH Stallions Maiden Hurdle.
Sent off a red-hot 3/10 favourite, Don Cossack was given a very confident ride by Russell who sent the Gordon Elliott-trained hot-pot to the head of affairs early in the home straight and the outcome was never in doubt as the pair surged clear to beat Sizing Gold by nine-and-a-half lengths.

Winning trainer Elliott was pleased with Don Cossack’s showing, saying, “That’s a huge relief. He idled a bit when he got to the front but it was a great to get his first day over jumps out of the way. We’ll step him up in trip and he’ll probably come back here to Navan for a Grade 1 Novice Hurdle next month.”

The Gigginstown/Russell hat-trick was completed in the two-mile, one-furlong Beginners’ Chase where 5/4 favourite Sword Of Destiny, trained by Noel Meade, sauntering to a clear-cut success.

This grey son of Shantou, who squandered a winning opportunity with a final fence blunder when beaten by Buckers Bridge at Punchestown four weeks earlier, made no mistake this time round when staying on powerfully on the rain-sodden ground to beat Darwins Fox by half a dozen lengths.

John ‘Shark’ Hanlon is one of the real characters of the jumping game and the popular Kilkenny-born hander appears to have a high class recruit on his hands in Hidden Cyclone who posted a good effort when successful in the featured Carlow IT Students Raceday Chase at Gowran Park on Saturday.

Six faced the starter in this two-and-a-half-mile €20,000 contest, with Andrew McNamara opting to make the running aboard Hidden Cyclone who went a well-backed 11/10 favourite.

It was clear from early in the home straight that the market leader had his five rivals struggling and McNamara’s mount showed no signs of relenting when keeping on well in the closing stages to deny his main market rival, Call The Police (6/4) by four-and-a-quarter lengths.

Hanlon, who trains the winner at his Beagnalstown, County Carlow yard for Dublin owner Pierse Mee, suggested that the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas will be the successful son of Stowaway’s next port of call.

Derek O’Connor, who was out of luck on a flying cross-channel foray to Ludlow last Monday, had his by now customary point-to-point winner when steering Vinnieslittle Lamb to victory for Wexford trainer Sean Finn in the second division of the opening four-year-old mares’ maiden at Sunday’s Boulta, County Cork meeting.

Sent off at 9/2, this daughter of Vinnie Roe sauntered to the front after the penultimate fence and scored with the minimum of fuss when running on strongly to beat runner-up Three Oscars by two-and-a-half lengths
O’Connor, who was posting his 13th success of the season, will be in action up north at the rescheduled Loughanmore meeting on Saturday before heading back down south to Sunday’s Lisronagh, County Tipperary fixture.

 

Betfair joy for Walsh and Nicholls

It was fitting on a weekend when a statue to honour the now retired Kauto Star was unveiled at Haydock that Ruby Walsh and Paul Nicholls – who enjoyed so many big days with the former dual Gold Cup winner – should take centre stage with the victory of Silviniaco Conti in the Betfair Chase.

The runners for the big-race were led to post by the now 12-year-old Kauto Star, but Walsh wasn’t hanging about on the way back as he sent Silviniaco Conti straight into the lead.

The high-profile Sam Waley-Cohen-ridden Long Run was the punters’ choice at 11/10 favourite with Walsh’s mount, who had the benefit of warm-up win at Wetherby last month under his belt, second choice in the market at 7/4.

Walsh has few peers when it comes to judging the pace of a race and the Kildare rider got it spot-on when, despite an untidy leap at the last, Silviniaco Conti still had enough in reserve to hold the challenge of Long Run by two-and-a-half lengths.

Naturally, the winner has been mentioned as a possible contender for the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup following his latest success and Nicholls wasn’t putting a damper on the idea of Silviniaco Conti trying to follow in the hoof prints of Kauto Star by heading to Prestbury Park next March.

He said, “He [Silviniaco Conti] is a really decent horse. He’s only six, he jumps and stays and is a progressive type. We said before the race that if they went quick to get a lead, but if they didn’t, Ruby would be happy to make the running.”

“I said if he won today he would go for the Gold Cup and that is the plan. I’m not going to rush him and he may even go straight to that race now. I won’t be running him on bad ground during the winter as I think he’s a really exciting horse,” added the bang-in-form Ditcheat handler.