Samcro simply sensational as he shouts his talent loud and clear

Owner Michael O'Leary might not like the inevitable hype but he's going to have to get used to it after Samcro produced the most scintillating performance of the two-day Dublin Festival with an effortless destruction of a high-quality field of novice hurdlers.

Samcro is something seriously special and in the coming weeks he will get more media coverage than any other horse heading for Cheltenham. And he'll deserve it.

This was the day when Samcro needed to clear his throat and do the talking himself. He certainly did that. He shouted that he is the most exciting young horse around. So exciting that he is now 4-5 with Ladbrokes and BoyleSports to bag the Ballymore at Cheltenham and even shorter with Paddy Power who go 8-11. It was that good.

The distance from the Gordon Elliott-trained six-year-old back to Duc Des Genievres was five and a half lengths but the truth is that he made good horses look slow and he has been doing that for most of his short but distinguished career. That's now seven wins from seven races, three over hurdles, three bumpers and a point-to-point.

"He's still not Jesus Christ. Hopefully he will be when he wins a chase, a proper race. He's going the right way," O'Leary said in typical style.

Samcro is certainly going the right way and he is getting there very fast. His jumping was slick, even at this shorter trip, and the way he pulled away from his rivals on the home turn was mightily impressive.

"Just to get a winner was great. We've hit the crossbar a few times," a visibly relieved Elliott said. "The horse was great and I'm delighted."

He added: "He has opened up a lot of doors and we can go anywhere with him now. He's a good horse and we're lucky to have him. Nothing fazes him. He showed a lot of class there today and he could be anything."

As for jockey Jack Kennedy, he's certainly a believer.

"He's a dream ride, he travels away and is always there when you want him. He lives up to the hype," Kennedy said. "He's done everything right and couldn't do any more. He jumped great, travelled well and did it easy. He gives you plenty of options."

Paloma Blue (16-1) tried in vain to keep up with Samcro in the home straight and it proved to his cost as Duc Des Genievres (9-1) stayed on to grab second. But this was all about the winner.

"He's recovered well after he scoped badly at Christmas," O'Leary continued. "We were sorry to miss the race at Christmas but this makes up for it."

"It was a bit of risk taking him back to two miles, but he handled the ground. Hopefully, if we keep him fit and well, we'll have a shot at the Ballymore."

Full result

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