Paul Townend hails 'another exciting one' as It's For Me impresses on hurdles debut

With the likes of El Fabiolo and Impaire Et Passe to look forward to this winter, Paul Townend is likely to enjoy plenty of success in the colours of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, and another one to add to the list is It's For Me after he made a striking start to his jumping career in the 2m½f maiden hurdle.

A brilliant winner of a Navan bumper in January before being beaten in Grade 1 company at Cheltenham and Punchestown, the French-bred faced a couple of serious rivals in Gordon Elliott's promising grey Caldwell Potter and Henry de Bromhead's Triumph Hurdle fifth Ascending.

He took care of them though, despite showing a tendency to race keenly in a first-time hood, and was able to pick up decisively from the final flight to beat Caldwell Potter by a length and a half with Ascending a further four and a half lengths back. The trio finished well clear of the rest.

"Another exciting one in these colours," said Townend. "He was very keen the whole way round. Maybe a stronger pace will suit him; it would definitely help him settle. When he got daylight he just ran with me.

"He has a huge engine to run away so far from home, but we will have to calm it a small bit! He took a blow and picked up again and hit the line hard."

Loughglynn off the mark

Townend and Willie Mullins completed a maiden-hurdle double when the giant Loughglynn made virtually all to land the 2m5f auction race.

He has more of a Land Rover engine than the Rolls Royce of It's For Me, but he was able to keep up a good gallop from end to end despite his concentration wavering in the last half-mile, leading to less-than-fluent jumps at the last three hurdles.

"He enjoyed the scenery anyway," said Townend. "He had a good look round at every hurdle and the wide-open spaces. He'll be better when he's concentrating on what he's doing. He has loads of power and is a huge horse; he'll be a chaser down the line."

Oliver restores order

Tyrone trainer Andy Oliver could have a useful juvenile hurdler after decent Flat handicapper Semblance Of Order made a winning debut over hurdles in the three-year-old maiden.

He gradually got his jumping in order and galloped on well from the last under Sam Ewing to win by a length and a half.

Oliver said: "He jumped well at home but he still came here a bit novicey. He doesn't do more than he has to in front. We think there's plenty of improvement in him and Christmas is certainly something we will be looking at."

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