Ballyoisin bags the big one at Listowel for Bolger, O’Keeffe and McManus

“That’s the La Touche out the window now,” joked Enda Bolger after Ballyoisin landed Thursday’s feature €100,000 handicap hurdle under young Darragh O’Keeffe, the seven pound claimer enjoying his biggest triumph on a racetrack so far at Listowel.

Bolger may be best known for his expert handling of horses who master the unique art of cross-country racing, and while his appetite to find the next Spot Thedifference, Risk Of Thunder or Garde Champetre is as strong as ever, chances are it will be a long time before stable star Ballyoisin encounters Ruby’s Double.

Instead, JP McManus’s Ballyoisin is likely to go back over fences after cashing in on his lenient hurdles rating of just 131, 26lbs lower than his chase mark, with all roads leading to Gowran Park for the Grade 2 PWC Champion Chase on October 6.