A GRAND COMEBACK
BARRY GERAGHTY is targeting a return to the saddle in time for next month’s Grand National meeting at Aintree.
The leading rider was ruled out of last week’s Cheltenham Festival for the first time in his glittering career after he suffered a collapsed lung and six broken ribs in a fall at Kempton at the end of February.
Geraghty feels his condition has improved in the last couple of weeks and hopes to have a firmer idea of when he might be ready to return after seeing a specialist in the coming days.
He said: “I’ll have a scan in the next week and I should get a better idea after that.
“Aintree is the target and it’s definitely coming along.
“We’ll see what the specialist says and go from there.”
■ Tully East will search for further riches at the Punchestown Festival following last week’s great display at Cheltenham. The Alan Fleming-trained seven-year-old was delivered with a perfectlytimed challenge by Denis O’Regan and was well on top in the closing stages of the Close Brothers Novices’ Handicap Chase, the concluding race on the opening day of the Festival.
Owner Barry Connell said: “It was great to see him do what he did and there’s not a bother on him since.
“Luckily we managed to get him in that race, he went into it in great form and it all worked out on the day. There’s another valuable novice handicap at the Punchestown Festival, so I think that’s the way we’ll go.
“You’d like to think he could go back to Cheltenham next season.
“He seems to like the place and as we have seen many times before, course form is very important there.
“He’s done his job for this season and anything else he achieves is a bonus.”
■ Richard Johnson was the toast of punters at Warwick as he enjoyed a 22-1 four-timer.
Johnson got off to a flyer aboard 9-4 favourite Robbin’hannon for his boss Philip Hobbs in the opening maiden hurdle.
The formidable combination swiftly doubled up with 1-9 shot Multiculture in the two-mile novice hurdle, before Johnson completed his hat-trick on Kerry Lee’s 8-11 market-leader Krakatoa King in the limited handicap chase for novices.
His fourth triumph of the day was the Henry Oliver-trained Sparkling River (11-4) in the mares’ handicap hurdle.