Sport

Beal Na Blath wins after pile-up

National Hunt racing is a tough game and yesterday at Cork a six horse pile-up at the half-way stage of the Micro Bio Handicap…

Mon Dec 13 1999 - 00:00

National Hunt racing is a tough game and yesterday at Cork a six horse pile-up at the half-way stage of the Micro Bio Handicap Hurdle - won by Beal Na Blath - proved just that.

Philip Carberry deputised for flu victim Shane Kelly to land the spoils, a third win on the bounce for the Pat Hughes-trained mare, but the main talking point among the large crowd was the melee which miraculously didn't result in serious injury to either horse or jockey.

Rosie Lil and Ken Whelan slipped up on the flat to spark off the mayhem bringing down topweight Taobhin (Paul Carberry), Genetic George (Garrett Cotter), Fornaught Alliance (Paul Hourigan), Avra Gale (Norman Willamson) and Tworow (Paul Moloney). Williamson ("I'm sore") and Whelan (dead leg) were stood down for the remainder of the meeting.

Paul Carberry, Williamson and Cotter had better luck during the afternoon, the former producing Noel Meade's Boley Lad from off the pace to score for the third time this season in the Cork Stayers Novice Hurdle.

READ MORE

Fadoudal Du Couchet was all the rage for the opening Mallow Novice Chase, tumbling from odds of 5 to 4 down to 4 to 6, but not for the first time this weekend odds-on punters suffered a blow when Arthur Moore's French-bred could finish only third.

Victory went to easy-to-back recent Leopardstown bumper scorer Up For The Game who simply toyed with his rivals up the run-in under a very cheeky ride from Williamson. He hardly moved a muscle aboard Edward O'Grady's charge to defeat Storm Ten by a neck.

"He'll go for the William Neville & Sons Novice Chase on December 28th next," said the Ballynonty handler.

Arthur Moore was also responsible for the warm 5 to 4 favourite Lyreen Wonder in the EBF Beginners Chase but Copper Supreme, trained under permit by Midleton-based Donal Coffey, kept on well from the second last fence to hold the market leader by a length-and-a-half in the hands of Cotter.

Bookmakers enjoyed the better of the exchanges throughout the session and they enjoyed another good result in the finale when Michael Hickey's Little Buckie and Davy Russell scored with the minimum of fuss with odds-on chance Royal Jake only third.