Real Man Of War, yellow cap, wins the bumper© Photo Healy Racing
Richie Rath’s Real Man Of War proved up for the fight when seeing off his rivals in Navan’s concluding bumper.
The 11/2 shot travelled powerfully into the straight and was still on the bridle inside the two furlong pole when he picked up the lead.
Barry O’Neill asked him to go on and take the race by the scruff of the neck, but with 200 yards to go there were fully six horses in a bunch just two lengths away.
It was Swansea Mile who thre down the stiffest challenge, but couldn’t get past Real Man Of War and had to settle for second at 11/4, beaten a length and a quarter. Blueberry Hill (4/1) also stayed on well for third, a further half a length in arrears.
Richie Rath said: “He's always taken a run after a break to get him right. I was thinking of running him over hurdles at Listowel but decided to give him one more chance in a bumper.
"He works really well and I can't understand why he hasn't won a bumper before now. He'll go over hurdles now."
The owner, PJ Farrell, is from Wicklow.
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
