SUB SALUTED
SUB LIEUTENANT justified 8/11 favouritism when giving Gigginstown House Stud a seventh success in eight years in the Grade 3 Star Chase in Punchestown yesterday.
The nine-year-old, second leg of a double for trainer Henry de Bromhead, jockey Rachael Blackmore and Gigginstown, successful in the opener with Milliner, made virtually all the running and, having been pressed all the way by Outlander and Sandymount Duke, ultimately drew clear to score by nine lengths.
Realistically the race lost a lot of its interest when Noel Meade withdrew both Road To Respect and Snow Falcon. But the Sub Lieutenant team had no complaints as Blackmore’s mount stepped-up on last year’s third to Road To Respect in this race.
“I’m delighted to see him coming back to himself,” said de Bromhead.
“He jumped brilliant and Rachael gave him a super ride. He loves that (fast) ground and will head to the north now (for the Jnwine.com Champion Chase on November 3) and then on to Leopardstown for the Savills Chase at Christmas.
“He was in for Galway and we backed off him for a while, so he could go until Christmas and then have a break before his spring campaign.”
The de Bromhead/blackmore combination also clicked in the opening maiden hurdle for Gigginstown, when debutant Milliner proved too strong for odds-on favourite Batts Hill.
It was a good day too for Willie Mullins, successful with True Self (Colin Keane) in Bath before completing an across-thecard double with
Cadmium which, ridden by Ruby Walsh, reversed recent
Roscommon form with
Ornua in the Grade 3
Buck House, prompting his rider to joke: “I’m blowing harder than the horse,” before nominating the Grade 2 Craddockstown Novice Chase, back at Punchestown on November 17, as the six-year-old’s next target.
Slippery Serpent (Paul Townend, inset) provided Edward O’grady with a poignant all-the-way win in the Winter Warmer Bundles Handicap Hurdle as the seven-year-old, sent off 2/1 favourite, is owned by the “Friends Of Maria Syndicate”, a group of friends of his late wife, who was tragically killed a year ago. And Tom Dreaper, son of trainer Jim, savoured the convincing victory of Sizing Rome ( Jamie Codd) in the Ingoldsby (Amateur) Handicap Chase.
Dreaper said: “The Potts family has always liked having winners here in Punchestown, so it’s great.”