Flooring Porter crashes out as Darasso swoops to land Navan Grade 2 prize

Sunday: Navan

It was about to get interesting, but just as we started shimmying forward in our seats in anticipation of a gripping finish to the Lismullen Hurdle, Flooring Porter departed the scene at the second-last and left the versatile Darasso to pick up the pieces under a patient Luke Dempsey.

This Grade 2 has been won by some class acts over the years, most notably Apple's Jade (2017, 2018) and the recently deceased Solerina (2004, 2005), and the presence of last season's Stayers' Hurdle one-two – Flooring Porter and Sire Du Berlais – made this another fascinating renewal.

Flooring Porter wears his heart on his sleeve these days and the tactics that brought him success in the Stayers' Hurdle were once again employed. Danny Mullins sent him straight to the front and there must have been 30 lengths between first and last passing the stands for the first time.

Mullins sneaked a breather into him after leaving the back straight and, although Grand Roi had reduced the deficit considerably approaching the penultimate hurdle, he had yet to ask for anything close to maximum effort, so there may have been plenty left in the tank for all we know.

That said, Flooring Porter would have needed a fair bit of petrol to deny Darasso, who crept into contention and used race fitness to his advantage after the last, putting six lengths between himself and Sire Du Berlais at the line.

So, then, Luke, would you have won? "I'm not sure whether he had me beaten or not," replied Dempsey.

"I was coming with my run at the time and I felt I had plenty of horse left. He did it nicely. He's a right little horse."

The winning jockey, who was celebrating his 15th winner of the campaign, added: "We went very quick, there was no hanging about. I was riding my lad to run well and pick up whatever I could. When they went so quick early on, I knew it would play into my hands.

"It was a very good performance. He likes that good ground and he did it nicely in the end. He's been on the go all summer and the others haven't, so that helped him. He had a fitness edge."

Watch Darasso win the Lismullen Hurdle

Darasso was introduced into the Stayers' Hurdle market at 40-1 by sponsors Paddy Power and Betfair Sportsbook and led home a one-two for owner JP McManus with Sire Du Berlais taking second.

The winner could reappear next Sunday for the Morgiana at Punchestown according to Frank Berry, McManus's racing manager.

Berry said: "He's been very consistent all year and run some good races, so it was nice to see him back in front again. He's in the Morgiana next weekend and we'll see how he is during the week. He doesn't mind pulling out again quickly. If he's in good form, we might have a shot at it.

"He's probably not good enough for the Grade 1s but he could pick up a bit of prize-money. He never runs a bad race."

Follow your favourites with our amazing Horse Tracker feature. Add up to 1,000 horses to your stable, filter them and keep up to date with automatic email alerts. Join Members' Club Ultimate now and never miss a winner again!