AS far as the Champion Hurdle - or the Stayers' Hurdle - is concerned, yesterday's Red Bog Hurdle at Punchestown was an inconclusive affair. The gallop was slow, 15 seconds slower than the opener over the same trip, and any one of four horses might have won on facing up to the last flight.
Derrymoyle, engaged in both the Champion Hurdle and the Stayers' Hurdle, cleared the last marginally ahead and sprinted clear to win under his regular rider, Mark Dwyer, and beat Balawhar by a length and a half, with Tiananmen Square one length adrift in third place.
"That proved nothing," said winning trainer Michael Cunningham who will keep an open mind as to Derrymoyle's Festival objective. Meanwhile, the horse will have a final preliminary in the three miles Boyne Hurdle at Navan on Saturday week. "After that I will let Mark make the final decision," added the trainer.
Aidan O'Brien and Charlie Swan were delighted with Tiananmen Square's performance. The injury prone eight year old had been off the track since finishing second behind Flakey Dove at Haydock more than two years ago.
If Cheltenham ambitions were entertained for Blazing Spectacle, who despite unsuitable ground ran a respectable race behind Manhattan Castle in Leopardstown's Arkle Challenge Cup, they might have been quickly revised following his defeat by Percy Brennan in the Grangebeg Beginners Chase.
The Richard Dunwoody partnered Blazing Spectacle had every chance as he rose in front to the last, but had no answer to the challenge of Percy Brennan (Charlie Swan) as he arrived on the inside, full of running, to win readily.
One half of the 20 starters for the opening Tynte Park Maiden Hurdle, led by the favourite Irish Breeze and closely attended by Pharlindo, veered off their course and on to the chase course on entering the far side of the track. Of the offending 10, two eventually came back onto the correct track.
The race was won by the Ted Walsh trained Papillon, who faced the last flight in front and beat Rathgibbon by two lengths.
After a protracted stewards' inquiry, no action was taken against the jockeys concerned. Trevor Horgan, rider of Irish Breeze, said the riders were told to follow the inside of the chase course and as he was following the dolls, suddenly found himself on the wrong course. Due to overnight frost, a late change to the hurdle course had to be made in order to allow racing to take place. Although warned of this, the jockeys did not have time to walk the course beforehand.
Old Abbey, an eight length winner of a two and a half mile hurdle here on Tuesday, made light of his mandatory 4lb penalty when making most of the running to win the Ballintaggart Handicap Hurdle by four lengths. Unfortunately, the winner returned lame.
The consistent Lord Singapore was prominent throughout the Rathside Handicap Chase before going for his race some way out to beat his long disputing rival Daddy Long Legs by seven lengths. Its A Cracker, an early faller on Tuesday, had to be put down after he had put a foot in a hole on the far side.
Papillon's rider Brendan Sheridan completed a double when the Martin Lynch trained Headbanger won the Newtown Boy Handicap Hurdle, going away from Clashwilliam Girl having jumped the final obstacle ahead.
