Nell's Well scores again at Cork to keep the show on the road for Sean O'Brien

Thursday: Cork

The presence of 2,000 students at Cork's first student raceday since 2019 certainly made a difference to the atmosphere on a day the Sean O'Brien-trained mare Nell's Well once more showed her liking for this track when landing the feature 3m handicap hurdle.

The daughter of Gold Well was a surprise winner of a Grade 3 novice hurdle in December over the same 3m trip and she travelled like a winner under Mark McDonagh from early in the straight.

Nell's Well took it up after the second-last and a brilliant jump at the last cemented victory as she held off the hat-trick-seeking Wild Hunt by a length and a quarter.

"Things are very quiet for us at the moment and she's keeping the show on the road. If I had three or four like her it would be wonderful," said O'Brien.

"Her best form is with dig in the ground, but I was happy it was safe and she was able to jump and travel. She gave away plenty of weight today and I thought she was impressive and Mark gave her a lovely patient ride. She's kept improving and this was a step up again from her.

"There is a 3m handicap hurdle for her at Fairyhouse but wherever she goes is very ground dependent. When mares are fit and well you should run them."

Virgo snookers rivals for McCann

Anthony McCann spent last week at Cheltenham hoping to get a run in the County Hurdle but returned disappointed after Advanced Virgo missed the cut by two, but after landing the 2m conditions contest the Monaghan trainer said it might well have been a blessing in disguise.

In the hands of Jonathan Moore, the ex-Charles Byrnes-trained gelding held on well after taking it up between the last two flights to beat the long-absent Gibraltar and odds-on shot Cayd Boy.

McCann said: "We took him to Cheltenham last week for a bit of a holiday and we were very happy with him coming back. We were a bit concerned about the ground, but he'd won his maiden hurdle for Charles on good ground at Navan so we were confident enough.

"He was bought to go chasing and that's what he'll do later in the year. For a Holy Roman Emperor he's a hell of a jumper. We were hoping to get him into the County Hurdle but it might have worked out for the best."

Fitzgerald strikes

The most impressive performance came in the mares' bumper, won readily by the Barry Fitzgerald-trained newcomer Magical Zoe who was returned at 8-1 having been 25-1 the previous evening.

She was a first winner in Ireland for Welsh amateur Sioned Whittle, who rode the Tom Lacey-trained Silent Man to win two handicap chases in Britain in November 2020.

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