Oscar Knight seemed set for a comfortable success when easing into a commanding advantage from two out. Runner-up Undressed however closed under pressure on the flat and he got to within a half-length of Oscar Knight at the line. The likelihood is that Oscar Knight will now run at the Fairyhouse festival over Easter.

The Mullins/McManus due were earlier on the mark when Some Article sprung a 20/1 upset in the Festival Party Pack From 21 Maiden Hurdle. Some Article mover ever closer with Niall ‘Slippers’ Madden before two out and the victorious seven-year-old took up the running inside the final 100 yards to defeat favourite Investmentsuccess by one and three quarter lengths.

Queens Wild carried the colours of Fethard-based owner/breeder Bobby Guiry to victory in the Festival Any Day Flexi Ticket Mares Maiden Hurdle over two miles six furlongs.

The Eddie Harty-trained favourite Queens Wild stylishly made her way to the front approaching the final flight for Ruby Walsh to beat main market-rival Why Not Thistle by four and three quarter lengths. The probability is that Queens Wild will now be upped in trip to three miles.

At Clonmel on Thursday, leading lady rider Liz Lalor sent out her first winner as a licensed trainer when steering De Name Escapes Me to a resounding success in the closing Powerstown Flat Race.

De Name Escapes Me, who had just one previous run in a point-to-point, stormed to the front with Miss Lalor at the two-furlong marker and he eased clear thereafter to slam Roman Gold by eight and a half lengths. De Name Escapes Me, owned by Tom Keating from Grange outside Clonmel, is now likely to be sold.
The Willie Mullins-trained Vedettariat, who started his career in point-to-points when in the ownership of Dungarvan based veterinary surgeon Walter Connors, stepped up from his most recent second-placed effort at Thurles by landing the Demesne Maiden Hurdle in the hands of Ruby Walsh.

Vedettariat went to the head of affairs before the final flight and he then had little difficulty in accounting for fellow joint-favourite Venitien De Mai by three lengths. The likelihood is that Vedettariat will be campaigned over fences next season.

Top Co Wexford-based amateur Barry O’Neill joined forces with Eoghan O’Grady to collect the Kilmolash Handicap Hurdle with Clara More, the veteran valiantly coming a second time to lead from two out en-route to dismissing Lake Field by five lengths.

At Naas on Sunday, local Kill-based handler Vincent Halley sent out his father Lar’s Arctic Skipper to record an emphatic success in the Paddy Power Shops 10.30am Sunday Service Maiden Hurdle.

Arctic Skipper, a hugely impressive maiden point-to-point winner at Glenbane in November 2013, went one better than he did on his return to action at Thurles last month by picking up the running with Andrew Lynch inside the final 100 yards to defeat A Hardy Nailer by a half-length. The six-year-old Arctic Skipper will now be targeted at a novice hurdle, but he’s likely to really come into his own when campaigned over fences next season.

Mallowney, the undoubted stable star of handler Tim Doyle’s Moyne operation outside Thurles, hardly broke sweat with Davy Russell in the featured Grade 2 Paddy Power Your Local Betting Shop Chase. Mallowney led from half-way and he was clearly containing the chasing Moscow Mannon when Henry de Bromhead’s charge sadly sustained a fatal final fence fall. The 160-rated Mallowney, representing the Glebeland Farm Partnership that includes politician Michael Lowry, will now be targeted at the Fairyhouse and Punchestown festivals.

Colm Murphy, also on the mark with Dylanseoghan in a maiden race at the Kildorrery point-to-point meeting on Sunday, struck with Empire Of Dirt in the Woodlands Park 100 Club Nas Na Riogh Novice Handicap Chase.

Sporting the familiar Gigginstown House Stud silks, Empire Of Dirt led from the sixth fence with talented five lb claimer Luke Dempsey and he held on grimly in the closing stages to deny Champagne James by a length. It’s possible that Empire Of Dirt, a €325, 000 acquisition unbroken as a three-year-old at the 2010 Derby sale, will now be primed for a tilt at the Irish Grand National in Fairyhouse over Easter.

Neil O’Donnell

Champagne Fever and Paul Townend win the Grade 2 Red Mills Chase at Gowran. Photo: Patrick McCann

Admittedly, Dedigout then had his task lessened when the challenging Briar Hill fell at the final flight and the successful nine-year-old then came home with two and a half lengths to spare over Zaidpour.

Rank outsider Rawnaq outbattled odds-on favourite Gilgamboa to win the Grade 2 Flying Bolt Novice Chase. Trained at Kilmessan, County Meath by Matthew Smith, the 25/1 shot rallied gamely from the last under Andrew Lynch to record his fifth and most important win to date. Very Wood bounced back to form to win the Grade 2 Ten Up Novice Chase for local handler Noel Meade and Bryan Cooper. The six-year-old ran out an impressive winner from Noble Emperor and will now head to the Cheltenham Festival where he will have a number of options.

Davy Russell continued his stellar campaign by landing the Dunsany Handicap Hurdle aboard Forever Gold. The Edward Cawley-trained Forever Gold, on whom Russell carried one lb overweight, eased to the front after the third last and he was always travelling best thereafter with 11 lengths ultimately separating him from runner-up I Shot The Sheriff.

At Thurles on Thursday, Dungarvan-based handler David McGrath saddled his first track winner since 1999 when Goulane Chosen landed the Cashel Maiden Hurdle over an extended two miles six furlongs. Homebred by Ring-based owner Mrs Mary O’Donnell, the six-year-old Goulane Chosen made his way to the front at the third last.

Whilst joined briefly by runner-up Bitsandpieces before the final flight, Goulane Chosen still asserted to oblige by three and a half lengths.

Goulane Chosen’s rider Brian Hayes then went on to record a double for the three lb claimer earlier landed the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares’ Novice Chase aboard Our Katie. Trained by Bartlemy-based Garrett Ahern for Mrs Eileen Barry, Our Katie made her way to the front before the third last and she easily fought off main market-rival Down Ace from before the last to score by four and a half lengths. Our Katie, already a black type hurdler, will now be prepared for a tilt at the Grade 3 Dawn Run Mares’ Novice Chase at Limerick next month.

Glengoura-based handler Liam Burke was on the mark with Sumos Novios in the Ballycahill Beginners Chase. Sumos Novios made most of the running with Andrew McNamara, the former point-to-point winner readily bounding clear from two out to dismiss Bold Conquest by four and a half lengths. Sumos Novios, a strapping sort at 17hh, will now contest a novice handicap chase at Navan.

The Grade 2 Red Mills Trial Hurdle occupied centre stage at Gowran Park on Saturday and Edward O’Grady’s Kitten Rock underlined the fact that he still holds realistic Champion Hurdle credentials by landing this Grade 2 event in the hands of Mark Walsh.

Kitten Rock was still travelling ominously well in the familiar JP McManus silks when the pursuing Abbyssial crashed out at the penultimate flight. Kitten Rock could now well take his chance in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham next month.

The odds-on shot Champagne Fever, Willie Mullins’ teak-tough grey, booked his ticket for either the Queen Mother Champion Chase or RyanAir Chase at Cheltenham, by destroying the opposition to the tune of four and a half lengths with Paul Townend in the Grade 2 Red Mills Chase over two and a half miles.

Neil O’Donnell

Pic1: Tony Mc Coy and the John Kiely trained Carlingford Lough are saluted by the Leopardstown crowd following their victory in the Hennessy Gold Cup on Sunday. Photo: Patrick Mc Cann.

Now 40, McCoy is already virtually assured of an unprecedented 20th consecutive jumps title in Britain. On Sunday, Co Antrim native McCoy travelled to Leopardstown and he added the Grade 1 Hennessy Gold Cup to his CV by combining with Dungarvan-based handler John Kiely to win the coveted three-mile contest with Carlingford Lough.

Owned by JP McManus, the 2013 Galway Plate winner Carlingford Lough stepped up from his creditable fifth-placed return effort behind Road To Riches in the Grade 1 Lexus Chase at this same venue over Christmas. Whilst blundering two out at by which stage last season’s Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Lord Windermere had taken up the running, Carlingford Lough readily fought back under a determined partner to edge past Foxrock as the line approached to thwart Adrian Heskin’s mount by three parts of a length. Lord Windermere meanwhile faded to return a further eight lengths adrift in third spot.

Carlingford Lough, bought by Kilmacthomas-based agent John O’Byrne on McManus’ behalf as a foal in 2006, is now right in the Cheltenham Gold Cup mix. Stamina is clearly his strong suit and in an open year, he should have a major say in jump racing’s biggest prize of them all on Friday March 13th.

McCoy was earlier on the mark at Leopardstown for he teamed up with Eddie Harty to collect the Paddy Power “Number 1 For Live Streaming” Handicap Hurdle with Sort It Out.

Likewise owned by JP McManus, the Milan-sired Sort It Out made smooth headway to lead before the last and he surged clear in the closing stages, justifying strong market support in the process from 6/1 into 4/1, to beat Fort Smith by six and a half lengths.

There was a second local winner at the Foxrock venue for Slieverue-based handler Eoin Griffin sent out the Gigginstown House Stud-owned Archive to triumph in the closing Leopardstown Club Membership (Pro/Am) INH Flat Race.

The five-year-old Archive, an excellent third behind Identity Chief on his track debut in a hot Fairyhouse bumper in November, always took the eye in running under talented seven lb claimer David Mullins and the winning French-bred took up the running over one furlong out. It was all plain sailing from there as Archive duly fought off odds-on shot Potters Point by one and three quarter lengths. Archive seems to be progressing the whole time and he should be followed with interest wherever he goes between now and the end of the season.

Potters Point’s handler Willie Mullins still captured two out of the four Grade 1 contests, the Closutton handler opening his account courtesy of the filly Petite Parisienne in the opening Gala Retail Spring Juvenile Hurdle.

One of just two fillies in the eight-runner field, the Gigginstown House Stud-owned Petite Parisienne stylishly took up the running with Bryan Cooper before the final flight to beat stable companion Kalkir by one and three quarter lengths. Petite Parisienne is now bound for the Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham festival next month.

Kalkir’s jockey Ruby Walsh then combined with Mullins to take the Grade 1 Deloitte Novice Hurdle with Nichols Canyon.

Sent off a quietly-supported 9/2 shot, Nichols Canyon made all the running sustaining a strong tempo throughout to contain Windsor Park by three and a half lengths. Victorious in the Grade 1 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse in late-November, Nichols Canyon now has a choice of engagements in two Grade 1 novice hurdles at Cheltenham next month.

Mullins went onto complete a three-timer as his Prince De Beauchene justified 5/4 favouritism under his son Patrick in the Raymond Smith Memorial Hunters Chase.

Prince De Beauchene, a former top-class chaser, supplemented his success in a Thurles hunters chase last month by leading approaching the final fence to defeat main market-rival On The Fringe by three parts of a length. Prince De Beauchene is not qualified for this season’s hunter chases in Britain, instead the 12-year-old will stay at home to contest the Joseph O’Reilly Memorial hunters chase at Fairyhouse over Easter.