'She's a fine, imposing mare and there's lots to like about her' - Bioluminescence shines for Gavin Cromwell before big week

With a big team heading to Cheltenham this week, Gavin Cromwell would have been happy to receive any sort of sign that his horses were in good order. Winning the feature race on both Sunday cards was about as convincing as it could get.

A couple of hours before Hartur D'Arc landed the Leinster National at Naas, Cromwell took the feature Grade 3 mares' novice hurdle with the imposing and deeply promising Bioluminescence. 

In the hands of Simon Torrens, the JP McManus-owned daughter of Walk In The Park travelled best throughout and scored readily by three and a quarter lengths from Millstream Lady. Proficient leaps at the final two flights showed how much she had in the tank on this step up to 2m6½f.

Jumping fences in the not too distant future lies ahead for this gorgeous, scopey mare, but connections will surely be tempted to see what she can do in Grade 1 company over hurdles before the season is out. 

Torrens said: "She's a fine, imposing mare and there's lots to like about her. We didn't go a mad gallop and didn't get racing until the top of the hill. I was anxious to get her rolling as I didn't want to get caught flat-footed and I got good jumps at the last two. Looking at the size of her you'd think chasing is her game down the line."

This victory was a 73rd birthday present for her owner, with a few more expected during the week.

Falco blitzes rivals

The veterans' handicap chase looked competitive but the Eric McNamara-trained ten-year-old Falco Blitz proved too swift for his mostly older rivals. The topweight was running for the first time in this sort of handicap and followed up a good victory at Thurles in January, scoring convincingly under the trainer's son, Conor.

The rider said: "These veterans' races are a lovely incentive and ideal for a horse like this. It keeps his confidence up. Everything fell right for him at Thurles but a competitive veterans' race was ideal. They went hard early and I didn't intend to be that far back but I was happy with the gallop they were going. I got a lovely split in the straight. I was able to save a bit more than the others and that was why he came home so well."

The winning trainer was an absentee, and his son explained: "He's gone to Lanzarote for the week of Cheltenham. He told me he's gone sunning himself, but unless he gets a tan through the window of the bar I'd say he'll be struggling!"

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