Cromwell has Drinmore in mind after Gabynako puts in exhibition round

Tuesday: Fairyhouse

Gabynako could join stablemate My Mate Mozzie, who is pencilled in for the Grade 1 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle, at Fairyhouse two weeks on Sunday after a very taking success in the 2m5f beginners' chase.

It is testament to the strength of Gavin Cromwell's team of young horses that he will be so well represented at Grade 1 level here this month, and a Drinmore Chase bid for Gabynako is now on the cards.

In the hands of Darragh O'Keeffe, the six-year-old put in a terrific round of jumping to beat a strong field, winging the last two fences to score by two and a quarter lengths from Fury Road and the staying-on Max Flamingo.

Cromwell said: "That was an exhibition of jumping. I had him entered in the Drinmore with maybe the thought that it might be on the sharp side for him, but the way he jumped there maybe it won't.

"It will probably be on slower ground too which won't be a problem for him. It's certainly something we will be strongly considering."

Vaucelet has Christie dreaming

Fresh from his success at Aintree over the weekend with Koshari, Fermanagh trainer David Christie is dreaming of his progressive young hunter chaser Vaucelet being good enough to take him to Cheltenham in March.

The son of Authorized increased his sequence of victories on the track and in point-to-points to four when landing the 3m hunter chase under Barry O'Neill, a few weeks after winning an open point-to-point at Portrush by 30 lengths under the same rider.

An enthusiastic Christie said: "He's still such an immature horse in his head. Even when he won that open point at Portrush it was a nothing race and he was on his own cantering in the last lap. It was no preparation for coming up against hardened horses like he was taking on today.

"He did it well. Barry said he was always travelling but when you have to give him a wee shove he doesn't know what to do straight away yet. But that will all come, he's only six, he has a right engine and he jumps really well.

"He could be the sort of horse that we could go to Cheltenham with. He could go to Down Royal at Christmas but I'm not going to run him on deep winter ground. He likes soft ground but not deep ground, and I have the whole of the spring to train him for."

Irish grab the spoils

The first running of the Ireland v Britain qualified riders challenge staged in memory of the late Lorna Brooke went to the Irish riders, with Maxine O'Sullivan and Aine O'Connor finishing second and third on Favori Logique and Shanroe Al C. The winner Direct Image, trained by Robert Tyner and ridden by Mikey O'Sullivan, was not one of the eight runners involved in the challenge.

Results, replays and analysis

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