Baltic Bird makes winning chase debut Earlier on the card Bill Durkan's odds-on shot Fairbanks had to yield to Gordon Elliott's Timeless Treaty, but there was a role reversal in the Club Orange Beginners Chase at Down Royal with Baltic Bird coming out on top. Patrick O'Brien donned the familiar blue and white of the successful owner/trainer, and Baltic Bird (6/5 favourite from 13/8) got the better of Elliott's Big Stage from before the last, before registering a three and a half length victory. The Connacht Football Final didn't go the way of Mayo yesterday, but it's been a productive afternoon up north for the green and red natives. Durkan's relatives were on the mark in the previous heat courtesy of the John 'Shark' Hanlon-handled Topgun Simmy. Bill Durkan's assistant trainer Gary Bannon said: "They take a bit of jumping here. "We gave him a run in Ballinrobe the last day, he always takes a run at the start of the year and he improves a tonne from run to run. "We just saw that there were very few entries here. We schooled him at the back end of the year before we let him off in October and he jumped well, so with the entries we said we would come here. "Is he bred to jump fences (by Frankel)? I don't know! "He has been an incredible horse and he's only six. "I said last year that there is a horse I used to work with, Beau Michael, won the novice chase in Galway when I was with Ado McGuinness. This horse could be similar to go back there, Bill loves Galway. "Whether we go to the GPT or the novice chase, we have plenty of options. He's a great fun horse and it is great to get a winner on the board early. "He will go between everything now (Flat, hurdles and fences). He just doesn't like soft ground." The Raceday Stewards reviewed an incident on the landing side of the last fence involving Baltic Bird (GB), ridden by P.M. O'Brien, placed first, and Big Stage, ridden by K.C. Sexton, placed second, where it appeared the two horses made contact. Having viewed the recording of the race and considered the matter, the Raceday Stewards were satisfied that no riding offence had occurred and that the incident had no bearing on the result of the race, therefore no further action was warranted. (MG & EM)
