O’BRIEN CLOSES IN ON CENTURY OF WINNERS FOR SEASON

Fergal O’brien closed in on a century of winners for the season courtesy of a double at a rainsoaked Chepstow yesterdy with Ask A Honey Bee and Mahon Point.

Currently fourth in the championship which is decided on prizemoney, only champion trainer Paul Nicholls has trained more winners this season.

Fittingly for O’brien, who has spent most of his career based near the Cotswolds, he won the race named in honour of Dai Burchell, who hails from nearby Ebbw Vale.

The Happy Retirement Dai Burchell Novices’ Hurdle looked a decent event on paper with the front three pulling well clear – but it was O’brien’s Mahon Point (9-4) who got the better of 11-10 favourite Dom Of Mary.

“He’s a nice horse and it’s lovely to support English pointers, he came from Francesca Nimmo’s and Charlie Poste’s yard,” said O’brien.

“He’s for a great group of owners who have had horses with me since the beginning and this looks like a nice one.

“They’ve been patient, he was third in a bumper and today was good again. The second was entered in the Tolworth and the third horse (Crossing Lines) ran a very good race on his first run for two years.

“To win the race named after Dai is great. I’ve had a couple off Dai and he’s had a couple off us and everything he has got he improved and got a win out of.

“He’s a very good trainer but forgetting that, you can only speak as you find and he’s always been a lovely man to me, very good to talk to and a genuinely nice man. I wish him all the best in his retirement.”

While O’brien may not have many win at as short a price as Ask A Honey Bee’s 1-9, it was far from straightforward in the three-runner Visit Irish Store Sales With ITM Novices’ Chase.

Paddy Brennan briefly looked under pressure as Captain Cuckoo loomed up, but the favourite’s ability came through in the end.

Fergal O’brien.