Sin Palo keeps Chase The Favorite at bay © Photo Healy Racing
Top-weight Sin Palo made every yard under Ruby Walsh to comfortably score in the two and a half mile maiden hurdle at Kilbeggan for champion trainer Willie Mullins.
The Killarney bumper winner was never headed and started favourite backers off on the right foot with a win at 7/4. Chase The favourite (7/2) certainly did that as he ran second the whole way for Bryan Cooper and Dessie Hughes, but he could make no headway and came in five and a half lengths in arrears.
It was 13 lengths back to Katys Girl in third at 9/1 and Bay To Go finished fourth at 33/1 in a race in which only the front four were sighted. There was a morning gamble on Adrian Murray’s Clonleney (25/1 to an SP of 8/1), but after running fifth throughout the six-year-old gelding weakened to finish eighth.
Winning jockey Ruby Walsh said: “I don’t know why he disappointed in Cork [10th on 25 May in a three mile maiden hurdle]. He stopped very quick. He went a good gallop today and jumping probably won it for him.
“The only one he missed was the last and he probably had it won at that stage.”
Michael Graham
