Market gets it badly wrong as Barry Lyndon defies big drift to make a winning start over fences for Dermot McLoughlin

Sometimes the market points you in completely the wrong direction. A shade of odds-on for much of the morning, Barry Lyndon eased all the way out to 5-2 before the 2m5f beginners chase but he defied the drift to make a winning start over fences for local trainer Dermot McLoughlin. 

The two-time Irish Grand National-winning trainer was pleasantly surprised as his 135-rated hurdler never got a chance to pop a fence on grass beforehand, but he belied the inexperience under Patrick O'Brien to score by two and a quarter lengths from Millforce.

The odds-on favourite Kamikaz Du Plessis gave Jack Kennedy a torrid time up the home straight and almost pulled himself up. 

"It’s the first time he’s jumped on grass so hopefully he’ll improve plenty from it," McLoughlin said. "Patrick said he had a good blow so hopefully it’s onwards and upwards. We might step him up in trip as well.

"The plan was to get going steady, get him a lead and get him jumping. That was the main objective today. He seemed to put in a good round of jumping and that’s a big help. We’ll look for a winners’ contest or a novice. He will improve and hopefully he can improve enough to get in with the big boys. We’ll see what happens."

Darragh dazzles on 50-1 shot

Andrew McNamara showered Darragh O'Keeffe with praise after the pacesetter in the Irish jump jockeys' championship stretched his lead over Paul Townend to 19 with a superb steer on the 50-1 outsider Hickeys Hill in the 2m handicap hurdle.

O'Keeffe pounced in the final few strides to beat the favourite Cowper Hall by three-quarters of a length, making a difficult job look simple according to the winning trainer.

"Darragh was absolutely brilliant on him," McNamara said. "He’s not a simple horse to ride, he’s keen and he’s not a strong finisher and he hangs a bit as well. 

"Darragh made every decision right on him the whole way around. He was travelling well turning in and he could have switched wide and got a clear run but he took the chance to switch in and have another horse keep him straight up the straight. That’s why he’s at the top of the table."

Dempsey in top form

The Phillip Dempsey stable is red hot right now and the victory of Clonbury Bridge in the 3m handicap chase under Keith Donoghue means the trainer has supplied three winners from his last five runners.

The trainer said: "That was great, he jumped from fence to fence. We were delighted with him. A good man, John Bergin, was buried yesterday. He's a brother of one of the syndicate members. He was very good to us when we were young. He had 13 winners himself in his day and was a big dog man in the end.

"This horse is such a quiet lad and everyone loves him around the yard."

Costello catches them napping

Laura Costello caught her rivals on the hop in the concluding 2m bumper as she pinched an unassailable lead on the 12-1 shot Carrig Padraig before halfway and strolled to a nine-length victory over the odds-on favourite Minella Jury.

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