Cold list a distant memory for McLoughlin as Wa Wa extends purple patch

A spell of more than seven months without a winner had put dual Irish Grand National-winning trainer Dermot McLoughlin firmly on the cold list heading into February, but what a difference a few weeks can make.

The Seven Figures Partnership's Wa Wa gave the Ratoath trainer his fifth winner in 26 days when easily landing the 3m handicap hurdle at Leopardstown's final meeting of the jumps season.

It was Wa Wa who initially stopped the rot when landing a handicap hurdle at Navan on February 12, and he was still able to take advantage of a hurdle mark 21lb lower than his chase mark here. Under Bryan Cooper, he surged to the front after the second-last and quickly had the race won, scoring heavily eased down by a length and a quarter from handicap newcomer Atacanter.

Racing TV frontman Gary O'Brien is a prominent member of the winning partnership, and he said: "I'm just absolutely chuffed. He seems to have got his mojo back for whatever reason. He travelled and jumped much sweeter today than he did at Navan, and Bryan was keen to come back and ride him after being out a couple of weeks.

"We'll have a chat with Dermot, but when we bought him from David Christie he said the Ulster National at Downpatrick was the race for him. Hopefully those two wins have given him his confidence back and we can look at that race, but we'll see what Dermot says. The stable is bang in form too, which is great."

Walhaan has Murphy on a high

With a couple of wins on the Flat to his name, many might have thought Walhaan was going hurdling quite late in life, but the Dark Angel gelding looks to have every opportunity to make up for lost time after accounting for a Willie Mullins odds-on favourite in the opening maiden hurdle.

He was given a fine ride from the front by Eoin Walsh, a young rider who certainly deserves more opportunities, as he kept enough up his sleeve to hold off the challenge of Paul Townend on Horantzau D'Airy by three-quarters of a length with perhaps a little more than that in hand.

Trainer Ciaran Murphy said: "Things did not go right for him at Navan but Eoin gave him a no-nonsense ride today, he was very good on him. He has improved at home and we pinpointed this race for him after Navan; a flat track and good ground and he was going away at the finish."

"He is really starting to get the hang of hurdling now and we think there is a nice race on the Flat in him as well. We might not mix and match with him, we'll probably stay hurdling with him now and maybe then go on the Flat later in the season, but it is something we'll have a chat about. It was important for the Ask Dot Syndicate to have a winner. They are a great bunch of lads and great supporters of the yard."

Davy Russell, rider of I Am Fortunata, received a three-day ban for careless riding after his mount was involved in some interference.

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