'It's been a brilliant day' - Henry de Bromhead buoyant after promising Ma Belle Etoile leads three-timer

Henry de Bromhead could take the hour's drive back to his base at Knockeen with a satisfied smile on his face after bagging a treble from his seven runners. 

De Bromhead put down a marker in the first race, the 2m mares' beginners’ chase, when Ma Belle Etoile won at her leisure at odds of 3-1 under Darragh O’Keeffe. She is sure to appear in pub quizzes for years to come as the final winner for the now-retired Rachael Blackmore, but the six-year-old is starting to build a reputation of her own with some striking performances.

“I was delighted to see her do that,” De Bromhead said. “She has always looked like a promising mare. We might enter her for the race at Galway next week [Guinness Open Gate Brewery Novice Chase]. It's a black-type novice and she's a gorgeous-looking mare, so if she could get black type it would make her even more valuable as a broodmare.”

De Bromhead’s next winner, Wonleg in the 2m conditional jockeys' race, was partnered by Patrick O’Brien on his first ride for the yard. He impressed with a confident display on the 5-2 favourite. 

“Patrick rides out one day a week for us and he gave her a super ride,” De Bromhead said. 

O’Keeffe was back aboard for De Bromhead’s final winner of the day, Nouvotic in the 2m3½f beginners’ chase. Punters had taken the hint at this stage and the six-year-old was backed into the 6-4 favourite. Having pulled clear with Palamon off the home turn, he showed a likeable attitude to battle all the way to the line and win by two and a half lengths.

“It looked like he was beaten turning in and just ground it out,” the winning trainer said. “This sort of staying track probably suits him well. It’s been a brilliant day. Any day you have a winner is a good day, so three is even better.”

Back-to-back wins for Crowsatedappletart

Crowsatedappletart overcame a career-high chase mark to make it back-to-back wins at Wexford when he was dropped back in trip to win the 2m handicap chase for trainer Mick Winters and jockey Gavin Brouder.

The eight-year-old is remarkably consistent, having finished outside the top three just twice in his last 13 starts, and he showed all his toughness here. The 4-1 shot didn’t get a clear run turning in but battled all the way home to score by three-quarters of a length. 

“He's such a tough horse,” Brouder said. “It's like he's coming into his prime now. I got checked turning in and ran out of room, but he battled back. It was a good training performance for Mick to sharpen him up for that, over two miles on better ground than he's been running on."

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