Paddy Kennedy and Cooper back in the winners enclosure

PADDY Kennedy was among the winners as jump racing returned to the roster for the first time since racecourse action resumed at Limerick on Monday of last week. It was also the first day of the 2020/2021 National Hunt season and Kennedy celebrated when landing the second division of the maiden hurdle on the Tom Foley-trained Rebel Gold which proved seven lengths too good for Jon Ess at odds of 20/1.

“That’s my first winner for Tom and I work with his son Pat at Jessie Harrington’s,” Kennedy said. “The Foleys have done a good job with the horse. He was very free in his younger days and Pat put all his work into settling him and it has worked. He told me he’d go close today and he was right. He loves that ground and should improve again. He’ll be a nice summer horse and there might be a nice novice for him at Galway. It was nice to get the season started with a winner.” Meanwhile, Bryan Cooper (pictured) landed his first success of the new season when partnering the Paul Nolan-trained Quamino to take the 2m5f handicap hurdle at Roscommon last Wednesday.

A fair sort over fences, the seven-year-old took advantage of a far lower handicap mark over hurdles to beat the Gavin Cromwell-trained Mutadaffeq by a comfortable four lengths. The winner was returned at odds of 2/1 while the runner-up was the 7/4 favourite.

Dingle jockey Paddy Kennedy on the Tom Foley-trained Rebel Gold which proved seven lengths too good for Jon Ess at odds of 20/1 in the second division of the maiden hurdle at Limerick last week.