GREENWASH FOILED BY GREATREX

THE Irish came agonisingly close to landing a magnificent seven on Cheltenham’s St Patrick’s Thursday. The home team could only stand and watch as Shattered Love, Delta Work and Balko Des Flos won the first three races. Penhill then captured the featured Stayers’ Hurdle for Willie Mullins, before victories for The Storyteller and Laurina took the visitors on the verge of a ‘greenwash’. That guaranteed Ireland victory in the Prestbury Cup — the annual battle against Britain — with one day of the fixture still to go. Punters sent Irish raider Mall Dini off the 4-1 favourite to complete the clean sweep in the concluding Kim Muir, but the market leader couldn’t get past Missed Approach — trained in Lambourn by Warren Greatrex (above) — on the climb to the winning post. “We’re back in it!” laughed Greatrex, referring to the 15-6 scoreline.