RACHAEL MAKES GRADE
RACHAEL BLACKMORE made her graded-race breakthrough and rode her first winner for Gordon Elliott when Blow By Blow landed the Grade 3 Michael Purcell Memorial Novice Hurdle in Thurles yesterday.
A Grade 1 bumper winner when trained by Willie Mullins, Blow By Blow had disappointed in recent outings. But, wearing blinkers for the second time, the 7/1 shot proved a convincing, 14 lengths winner over stable-companion Gun Digger (also owned by Gigginstown House Stud). And Elliott would have saddled a 1-2-3 in the race had Roaring Bull not fallen at the last.
“Fair play to Rachael,” below, said a delighted Elliott, “She’s great girl and is the first jockey to get a tune out of this horse in a while. He’s always had plenty of ability but hasn’t been showing it.
“That’s Rachael’s first winner for us – she comes in one morning a week.
And we’re lucky to have such great girls as herself, Lisa
(O’neill) and Nina (Carberry) riding for us.”
And he added: “This horse might go for something in Cheltenham
– he’s in the Martin Pipe and the Albert Bartlett.”
Elliott and Gigginstown completed a double when
Sir Carno, ridden by
Jack Kennedy, justified 5/2 favouritism in the Thurles Handicap Hurdle.
And Denis Hogan was also in double form, partnering Youcantcallherthat (bound for the Grade 2 Charleville Cheese (Dawn Run) Mares Novice Chase at Limerick on March 18) to an emphatic victory over Magic Of Light in the Irish Stallion Farms Mares Novice Chase. And his double was completed when he saddled the well-regarded point-to-point winner Moscovite, ridden by Patrick Mullins to land the mares bumper. The Flemensfirth mare could be bound for the Sales in Cheltenham.
Elsewhere, Ryan Moore will be on board the J P Ncmanus-owned Clear Skies for Aidan O’brien when the progressive mare contests tomorrow’s Betway Winter Derby in Lingfield Park. Clear Skies has won five of her last six starts, all at Dundalk, but will face the toughest test of her career in this Group 3 contest.