JACK DOES HIS DUTY TO UPSET SHEARER

AugustA KAte, partly owned by Alan shearer, Lee Westwood and Ant and Dec, crashed out at the final flight of the Lawlor’s Hotel Novice Hurdle at Naas yesterday to hand Death Duty victory in the grade One event.

the Willie Mullins-trained mare looked sure to give Death Duty a real scare when she was produced to challenge by Ruby Walsh approaching the last obstacle, however she crumpled on landing, allowing the 5-6 favourite and teenage rider Jack Kennedy to pass the post nine lengths clear of turcagua.

sky Bet trimmed Death Duty to 9-4 favourite from 11-4 for the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival after he extended his unbeaten run over hurdles to four and trainer gordon elliott hinted that would be the six-year-old’s target.

elliott (below) said: ‘to be honest, I thought they didn’t go fast enough. I thought Blood Crazed tiger would make them go a good gallop. Our horse is just an out-and-out stayer.

‘You never know when Ruby is upsides you so it’s hard to say but the one thing you know about Death Duty is that he would have kept pulling out. Jack thought he had it covered and our lad is a very good horse. He has his job done again and that will be it now until Cheltenham.’

Assessing targets, elliott said: ‘there is a long way to go between now and Cheltenham, but if the race was tomorrow, I’d be saying the Albert Bartlett.

‘He’s a proper, big three-mile chaser. At this stage, of all the good horses I’ve had, none of them were ever as good as hurdlers as him. But that doesn’t mean he’ll do it as a chaser. I’d say he’s a fair one.

‘He’s honest and you even see walking around the parade ring that nothing fazes him. It frightens you, he’s that laid back.’