Canardier comes out best of Irish 1-2-3 in Cheltenham Canardier led home an Irish one-two-three in the first race of the new season at Cheltenham. A winner at Down Royal in June, Dermot McLoughlin’s charge had been placed on each of his three subsequent starts, including in Listed company at the Galway Festival. The six-year-old was the 6-4 favourite for the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle and travelled powerfully for much of the two-mile-five-furlong journey in the hands of Barry Geraghty. The John McConnell-trained Go Another One made a bold bid in front as he aimed to complete a hat-trick following recent wins at Stratford and Kelso, but Canardier mastered him after the final flight and passed the post with two and a quarter lengths in hand. Gordon Elliott’s mare Make My Heart Fly was third. Geraghty said: “It was three miles he ran over the other day and he has won over two miles before. He has got plenty of pace and stays well. Dermot has done a good job on him. “It was a solid performance. The lads that own him are are good lads that enjoy their sport and they will have got a good buzz out of today.” McLoughlin already has one eye on a return to Cheltenham for the Festival in March. He said: “Barry was fairly confident coming over. He did travel well and he’s done it well. Barry was sweet on him beforehand. “He was third last time over three miles, so he is versatile trip-wise. He will definitely jump a fence. “The lads that own him would like to be back here in March. Today was a bit of a fact-finding mission. Hopefully we will be back in March.”
