RACING CHELTENHAM:MICHAEL O'LEARY'S powerful string continued their hot-streak in the run-up to Cheltenham with a double at Leopardstown yesterday that took the Ryanair boss to the verge of €1 million in prizemoney won in Ireland this season.
O’Leary’s Gigginstown Stud colours were successful with another Cheltenham possible in Tharawaat at Navan on Saturday, and Westmeath earned his festival ticket with a fluent maiden victory yesterday.
Gigginstown’s retained jockey, Davy Russell, kicked off a hat-trick of his own on the day as Westmeath proved much too good for Glenlo Abbey and will next appear in the three-mile Bartlett Hurdle.
Weapons Amnesty won that Grade One race for O’Leary and Russell in 2009, and trainer Paul Nolan is hopeful of a good show by his inexperienced six-year-old who was cut to 25 to 1 by Stan James for the festival.
“He’s still very green and lairy, but if he’s lairy and still manages to win, I’ll accept it!” Nolan said.
“He hasn’t had an ideal preparation. It’s very close, but he hurt his back after running at Ballinrobe and wasn’t right for a long spell. He had to win today to justify a ticket to Cheltenham.”
Stonemaster followed up for O’Leary in the Ballsbridge Hurdle when proving the only one capable of overhauling the pace-setting Made In Taipan.
O’Leary memorably edged out JP McManus for the owners’ championship last year and has less than €50,000 to get to break the million barrier for this season. McManus leads with over €1.1 million.
Gigginstown’s only other runner yesterday was Uncle Tom Cobley, who looked a likely winner of the novice chase on the turn-in but faded to third behind Gentle Alice, who secured Paul Townend a 70th success of the campaign.
Townend’s lead over Russell in the jockeys’ table, however, is down to seven, as the latter, runner-up to Ruby Walsh for the last four, also scored on Pittoni in the handicap hurdle.
Charles Byrnes’ controversial runner hadn’t been seen since being an expensive failure in the November Handicap on the flat, but he had little trouble overtaking The Shepherd King in the closing stages.
“He wants soft ground, that’s the key to him,” Byrnes said before ruling out a return to Cheltenham. “He didn’t really travel there last year and we felt he wouldn’t get his ground. We’ll try and find another handicap for him before the end of the season.”
Dermot Weld said a trip to Cheltenham is unlikely for Waaheb, who made it two from two in bumpers in impressive fashion under Robbie McNamara.
“He’s all class and I think he has a huge future over jumps next season. He jumps like a stag. We’ll probably look at Punchestown and maybe run at Limerick before that,” Weld said.
Eddie Harty issued an upbeat bulletin of his Champion Chase hope Captain Cee Bee after his Carrigmartin beat Rahan De Marcigny in a finish of JP McManus-owned runners to the handicap chase.
“Captain Cee Bee is in great form and worked on Saturday. Fingers crossed we get some dry weather,” Harty said.
