Punchestown or Fairyhouse next for impressive winner Gatsby Grey

Thursday: Naas

Punchestown or Fairyhouse could be next for Gatsby Grey after the best horse in Oliver McKiernan's yard delivered the most impressive performance of the day to win the rated novice hurdle under Barry Browne.

Gatsby Grey went clear of his rivals approaching the last before opening up a sizable gap on the run-in, leaving his trainer dreaming of bigger festivals in the future.

McKiernan said: "You'd have to be thinking about Fairyhouse and Punchestown now. We threw him in the deep end the last couple of times but he showed nothing. It can only be the ground, so we'll keep him on good ground.

"Barry was a bit under pressure during the race but when he gave Gatsby Grey a squeeze away he went forward. He really travelled to the line. That was a bit of a surprise."

O'Brien shows no signs of winding down

Joseph O'Brien may have revealed he was winding down the jumps arm of his Owning Hill operation at a media morning on Wednesday but just over 24 hours later he was back in the winner's enclosure when Celestial Horizon won the opening maiden hurdle.

Sent off an 11-8 favourite, Celestial Horizon won snugly under Mark Walsh, sporting the colours of JP McManus.

Celestial Horizon: the Joseph O'Brien-trained favourite took the opener at NaasCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

The legendary owner's racing manager Frank Berry said: "He was workmanlike but got the job done. He liked the bit of nice ground. He thinks about it a little bit but the hurdles keep him interested. We'll find a handicap for him down the road and he'll keep going over the summer."

Flood off the cold list

Fran Flood bridged a gap of over a year to his last winner when Tuckmill made it 15th time lucky in the first division of the 2m handicap hurdle, winning under Sean O'Keeffe with something to spare.

The trainer, who hadn't had a winner since February 2021, said: "He probably needed to concentrate more and the blinkers helped him. He was that bit behind the bridle.

"It's great that he's won. He ran a fine race the last day and hopefully the blinkers keep working for him."

Results, replays and analysis

The Front Runner is our latest email newsletter available exclusively to Members' Club Ultimate subscribers. Chris Cook, a four-time Racing Reporter of the Year award winner, provides his take on the day's biggest stories and tips for the upcoming racing every morning from Monday to Friday